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PRINCETON.  N.J. 


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BV  2851  .H3  1916 

Halsey,  Abram  Woodruff,  1853 

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PANAMA 

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THE  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH  IN  THE  U.  S.  A. 

156  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 


August,  191 6 


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Panama  to  Parana 


By        ../ 
Abram  Woodruff  Halsey 
and, 
George  H.  Trull 


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Entering  the  Locks,  Panama  Canal 


Presbyterian  Foreign  Board 
1916 


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CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Panama  to  Lima 6 

Lima  to  Santiago 22 

Santiago  to  Buenos  Aires 43 

Buenos  Aires  to  Rio  de  Janeiro 56 

Rio  de  Janeiro  to  Curityba,  Parana 59 


FOREWORD 

HE  Congress  on  Christian  Work  in  Latin 
America  closed  its  sessions  at  Panama 
February  iqth,  iqi6.  In  many  respects 
it  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  relig- 
ious gatherings  of  the  present  genera- 
tion. For  ten  days  three  hundred 
representatives  from  all  the  Americas, 
a  few  from  abroad,  gave  undivided  attention  to  the  study 
of  religious  problems  affecting  Latin  America.  The  spirit 
of  unity  and  harmony  characterized  all  the  proceedings. 
In  the  vast  amount  of  information  imparted,  in  the  zeal, 
earnestness  and  consecration  manifested  by  all  who  had 
part  in  the  proceedings,  and  in  the  breadth  of  its  plans  for 
Christian  work  in  Latin  America,  the  Panama  Congress 
marks  an  era   in   the  history  of  evangelical  Christianity. 

If  the  Panama  Canal  represents  one  of  the  greatest 
mechanical  achievements  of  the  age,  the  Panama  Congress 
stands  for  a  great  moral  achievement. 

A  series  of  Regional  Congresses  held  at  strategic  centers  in 
Latin  America  followed  the  Congress  at  Panama.  The 
design  was  to  carry  into  the  Congresses  the  spirit  and 
information  of  Panama,  and  to  study  local  conditions  and 
needs,  with  a  view  to  a  great  forward  co-operative  evan- 
gelical movement  for  all  Latin  America.  A  deputation, 
representative  of  the  Panama  Congress,  was  appointed  to 
hold  these  Regional  Congresses  at  Lima,  Peru;  Santiago, 
Chile;  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  and  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil. 
The  last  of  the  four  Congresses,  held  at  Rio  de  Janeiro, 


closed  its  sessions  on  Tuesday,  April  i8th.  The  majority  of 
the  deputation  left  that  afternoon  for  New  York,  but 
representatives  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  spent  two  weeks  in  visiting  the  mission  work  of 
the  Board  in  the  States  of  Sao  Paulo  and  Parana.  A  full 
report  of  the  four  Regional  Congresses  will  be  published  by 
the  Committee  on  Co-operation  on  Christian  Work  in  Latin 
America.  This  pamphlet,  "Panama  to  Parana,"  is  designed 
to  give  a  bird's-eye  view  of  things  seen  by  the  way  on  this 
memorable  visit,  with  special  reference  to  the  mission  work 
of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  as  carried 
on  in  the  Republics  of  Chile  and  Brazil. 


Children  on 
the  streets  of 
Panama 


Capturing  an 
escaped  pig  in  the 
market,    Panama 


Panama  Lot- 
tery, located  in 
a  section  of  the 
Roman  Catholic 
Archbishop's  pal- 
ace, Panama 


PANAMA  TO  LIMA 

^HE  deputation  left  Balboa,  the  Pacific  coast  port 
of  Panama,  on  Monday,  February  21st,  and  reached 
Callao,  the  port  of  Lima,  Tuesday,  February  iqth. 
On  the  third  day  from  Panama,  the  first  stop  was 
made  at  Guayaquil,  Ecuador.  This  is  a  city  of 
75,000  inhabitants.  Ecuador  seems  a  small  place  on 
the  map,  but  it  is  twice  as  large  as  the  State  of  Illinois. 

The  city  of  Guayaquil^  as  seen  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer  is  not 
of  special  interest.  While  we  were  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  the  Rev. 
W.  E.  Reed,  an  independent  missionary  who  has  spent  seventeen 
years  in  Ecuador,  boarded  the  steamer  and  gave  a  most  illuminating 
account  of  mission  work  in  that  Republic.  For  many  years  the 
Gospel  was  not  allowed  to  enter.  In  i8qo,  a  colporteur  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society  was  driven  out  of  the  country  and  told 
that  as  long  as  Chimborazo  (the  great  mountain  of  Ecuador)  stands, 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  would  not  permit  the  Bible  to  be  circu- 
lated in  Ecuador.  Five  years  later,  at  a  Bible  School  in  Nebraska, 
a  group  of  Christians  were  gathered  in  a  prayer  meeting  making 
special  request  for  a  new  door  to  be  opened  for  mission  activity  in 
Latin  America.  Ecuador  was  the  door  opened.  Some  twenty-five 
missionaries  have  been  sent  out,  only  a  handful  of  whom  remain. 
The  population  of  1,200,000  is  largely  Indian.  Few  Indians  speak 
Spanish  and  their  native  language  is  difficult  to  acquire.  The  majority 
live,  as  did  their  fathers,  in  rude  huts  under  physical  and  moral  con- 
ditions that  render  mission  work  most  trying,  yet  the  people  are 
receptive  and  a  great  door  and  effectual  is  opened.  "If  I  had  a 
teacher,"  said  Mr.  Reed,  "I  could  open  a  school  tomorrow  with  forty 
pupils."  Ecuador  is  a  needy  and  neglected  part  of  Latin  America. 
Thus  far  the  work  carried  on  has  been  of  the  most  primitive  character, 
almost  entirely  evangelistic  and  very  little  educational.  No  delegates 
from  Ecuador  attended  any  of  the  Regional  Conferences.  The  field 
is  an  inviting  one  for  missionaries  with  a  stout  heart.  The  story  of 
the  heroic  labors,  especially  of  some  godly  women  living  in  the  midst 
of  wild  Indian  tribes,  and  patiently  endeavoring  to  lead  them  to  a 
larger  life,  is  one  of  the  romances  of  missionary  history  with  which 
the  Christian  Church  is  but  little  acquainted. 

NOTE — The  numbers  in  the  text  refer  to  illustrations  numbered  to  correspond. 


■^~-««.y«wiito/..«.A5^j 


*«    .im 


•^'•«i-^-:a;3 


I — Guayaquil,  Ecuador 


2 — Paita,  Peru 
7 


Our  next  port  beyond  Guayaquil  was  Paita.^  We  saw  numerous 
oil  wells  and  were  told  that  for  nineteen  years  the  town  had  had  but 
one  rainstorm.  The  Mayor  of  this  town  boarded  our  steamer. 
He  came  with  a  purpose.  The  Principal  of  the  Instituto  Ingles,* 
the  Presbyterian  school  at  Santiago,  Chile,  was  a  member  of  the 
deputation.  The  Mayor  had  been  educated  at  the  Instituto.  In 
addition  to  holding  the  office  of  Mayor  he  was  head  of  the  Department 
of  Instruction  for  all  North  Peru.  He  spoke  English  well.  We 
met  the  graduates  of  the  Instituto  also  at  Iquique,  at  Arica,  and 
in  other  places  throughout  our  long  journey.  They  were  able  men, 
occupying  positions  of  influence  and  usefulness,  although  few  of 
them  have  ever  made  an  open  confession  of  Evangelical  Christianity. 
The  indirect  results  of  mission  work  as  seen  in  the  graduates  of  the 
Instituto  Ingles  cannot  be  tabulated  in  any  ordinary  table  of  statistics. 
As  we  looked  into  the  face  of  this  young  man,  the  Mayor  of  Paita, 
who  twelve  years  before  had  been  graduated  from  the  Instituto  Ingles, 
we  recognized  the  place  which  such  institutions  have  in  mission 
activities  throughout  the  world. 

Deck  passengers  now  began  to  board  the  steamer  at  every  port. 
At  Pacasmayo  small  boats  crowded  around  the  steamer  bringing 
vegetables,  chickens,  cattle,  sheep  and  merchandise  of  all  sorts. 
Cattle  were  hauled  into  the  ship  by  bands  fastened  around  their 
body,  or  in  some  cases  by  chains  fastened  to  their  horns.  Passengers 
were  brought  in  by  the  "mammy"  chair.*  Great  skill  was  shown  in 
landing  goods  on  the  steamer,  albeit  two  bags  of  brown  sugar  out  of 
four  thousand  fell  into  the  water  the  day  we  were  at  Salaverry,  and 
at  Callao  the  mail  bags  took  a  plunge,  rendering  many  of  our  letters 
indecipherable.  On  the  other  hand,  a  sick  man  on  a  couch^  was 
safely  lifted  from  a  small  boat  to  the  deck  of  the  steamer  without 
any  apparent  discomfort. 

The  Indian  population  is  very  large  in  Peru,  as  in  most  of  the 
Republics.  It  is  estimated  that  at  least  fifty  per  cent  of  the  population 
of  over  6,000,000  are  pure  Indians,  and  at  least  half  of  the  remainder 
have  Indian  blood.  The  workmen,  as  we  saw  them,  from  place  to 
place,  seemed  industrious,  good  natured,  energetic,  but  cleanliness 
did  not  enter  into  their  list  of  virtues.  The  aft  deck  was  a  sight  to 
behold.''  It  was  strewn  with  orange  peels,  banana  skins,  dirt  every- 
where abounding.  In  one  corner  a  mattress  was  spread  out  on  which 
were  sitting  four  Peruvian  women,  whose  garments  were  not  very 
clean,  a  sewing  machine,  a  box  with  live  chickens,  a  number  of  bundles 
of  various  sizes,  contents  unknown,  and  miscellaneous  articles  spread 
out  everywhere.  Long  before  we  reached  the  shores  of  Peru  we 
realized  that  the  mass  of  the  people  were  still  poor,  ignorant,  illiterate 
and  lived  in  most  primitive  ways.     It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however, 


4 — Boarding  the  steamer  in  a  rough  sea,  west  coast 


5 — Sick  man  being  taken  on  board  in  a  rough  sea,  west  coast 

10 


that  there  is  an  educated  element  and  that  the  people  naturally  are 
polite,  courteous  and  generous  to  a  fault. 

The  harbor  at  Callao  is  spacious  and  attractive.  Great  ships  lay  at 
anchor  as  we  entered,  many  of  them  interned  on  account  of  the 
war.  It  was  interesting  to  see  a  raft  made  of  bamboo  poles,  lashed 
together  by  vines,  and  loaded  with  fish,  and  near  it  an  up-to-date 
spruce  naphtha  launch,  beautifully  upholstered  and  occupied  by  well 
dressed  Peruvian  ladies  and  gentlemen.  The  one  craft  belonged 
to  the  si.xteenth  century,  the  other  to  the  twentieth,  and  this  fittingly 
portrays  the  contrasts  in  the  Peru  of  today.  There  is  much  reminding 
one  of  the  past,  and  many  features  indicating  progress. 

It  is  a  short  and  pleasant  ride  by  trolley  or  railroad  from  Callao  to 
Lima.  The  first  sign  that  attracted  our  eye  after  alighting  from  the 
train  at  the  station  at  Lima  was  one  on  which  was  the  legend 
"American  Saloon."" 

Lima  was  a  strategic  center  in  which  to  hold  the  Regional  Congress. 
To  see  Lima  is  to  see  Peru.'*  It  has  all  the  elements  of  the  Peruvian 
civilization.  Here  you  meet  the  cultured,  refined  Peruvian  gentle- 
man, and  you  see  also  the  poor  native  in  his  homespun  suit,  riding 
in  a  cart  drawn  by  bullocks  that  belonged  to  a  past  age.  You  see 
milk  being  served  from  cans  swung  over  a  horse.  One  of  the  most 
delightful  hours  at  Lima  we  spent  in  the  home  of  the  Rector  of  the 
University,  whose  treasures  of  art,  and  especially  of  the  magnificent 
hand  work  of  the  old  Incan  civilization,  are  probably  the  finest  in  all 
the  world.  As  we  left  his  house  on  one  of  the  busy  streets,  a  girl 
not  eleven  years  of  age  urged  us  to  buy  lottery  tickets.  One  member 
of  our  party  was  asked  twenty-two  times,  within  the  space  of  fifteen 
minutes,  to  purchase  lottery  tickets."  Most  of  those  who  sold  the 
tickets  were  either  old  men  or  little  children. 

The  local  Committee,  in  much  fear  and  trembling,  had  arranged 
for  an  evening  mass  meeting  in  one  of  the  theatres  in  the  city.  No 
such  gathering  of  Evangelicals  had  ever  before  been  held  in  this 
"City  of  the  Kings."  It  was  not  until  November,  1915,  that  the 
law  granting  religious  liberty  had  been  passed  in  the  national  Congress 
and  this  only  with  the  bitterest  opposition.  Echoes  of  that  fight 
were  still  heard  in  the  streets  of  Lima  during  that  first  week  in  March 
when  our  Congress  held  its  session.  The  theatre  meeting  was  a 
great  success.^"  "The  large  auditorium  was  crowded.  The  addresses, 
in  Portuguese  and  Spanish,  were  listened  to  with  breathless  interest, 
and  applause  followed  every  statement  of  the  speakers  who  plead  for 
toleration,  education  of  the  masses,  religious  liberty  and  character 
based  on  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ.  Every  appeal  for  the  preach- 
ing of  a  pure  Gospel  and  the  developing  of  a  pure  national  life 
in  Peru  was  received  with  tremendous  enthusiasm.     It  was  a  unique 


11 


6 — Game  of  cards  on  steamer  deck,  Sunday  morning,  west  coast 


7 — The  first  sign  seen  in  Lima,  Peru,  after  leaving  the  railroad  station  to  enter  the  city 

12 


8 — View  of  public  square  and  mountains,  Lima,  Peru 


q — Child    selling    lottery    tickets    at    cathedral  steps,  Lima,   Peru 

13 


event  in  the  history  of  Lima.  The  photograph  of  the  Lima  Congress 
was  taken  on  a  historic  spot  on  the  steps  of  the  present  Senate 
House,  formerly  used  as  the  Hall  of  the  Inquisition/*  Behind  its 
portals  scores  of  persons  had  been  condemned  to  death.  In  Lima 
alone  i8q  heretics  were  burned  at  the  stake.  Facing  the  Senate 
House  is  the  Plaza  of  the  Inquisition,  where  possibly  some  of  these 
executions  took  place,  though  others  were  said  to  have  been  held 
on  the  main  plaza  of  the  city  in  front  of  the  Cathedral.  The  religious 
problems  confronting  the  Congress  at  Lima  were  many.  Illiteracy, 
ignorance  and  illegitimacy  are  dominant.  At  least  one  and  a  half 
million  Indians  know  no  Spanish  and  can  only  be  reached  through 
their  own  language,  a  tongue  difficult  to  acquire,  and  practically 
without  grammar  or  literature.  The  work  is  from  the  bottom  up. 
There  are  a  variety  of  dialects,  and,  while  related  each  to  the  other, 
yet  there  are  essential  differences  requiring  close  study.  Even  the 
Indians  who  know  the  Spanish  have  only  the  most  meagre  knowl- 
edge of  that  language,  and  it  is  practically  impossible  to  impart 
much  instruction  to  them  in  the  Spanish  tongue.  All  the  missionaries 
who  are  doing  any  effective  work  must  learn  at  least  two  languages  in 
order  to  reach  the  people.  There  are,  however,  some  hopeful  signs. 
Religious  toleration  has  been  finally  granted  in  Peru  as  in  other  Latin 
American  Republics.  In  one  of  the  reports  presented  to  the  Congress 
was  the  following  statement: — 

"Religious  liberty  is  of  course  very  much  more  ample  than  mere 
liberty  of  worship.  The  Constitution  prohibited  the  public  exercise 
of  any  non-Roman  worship.  This  prohibition  was  removed  by  Act 
of  Congress  in  November,  iqi5.  But  on  the  other  hand,  a  man  in 
official  position  cannot  identify  himself  with  the  Evangelical  move- 
ment. These  men  allege  that  such  a  step  would  close  all  doors  to 
promotion  and  posts  of  honor.  All  the  institutions  of  public  benef- 
icence are  run  by  nuns,  and  even  where  entirely  maintained  by 
public  funds  the  Evangelical  cannot  get  the  benefit  of  their  services. 
In  many  places  there  is  no  provision  for  the  burial  of  the  non-Romanist, 
and  there  is  record  of  a  recent  case  in  which  the  Cura  (priest)  insisted 
on  the  corpse  being  thrown  into  the  river.  He  did  not  have  his 
way,  but  this  was  due  to  the  fortunate  chance-visit  of  a  gentleman 
of  position  who  takes  a  keen  interest  in  that  particular  village.  The 
School-code  includes,  by  special  government  decree,  obligatory  in- 
struction in  Romanism,  and  the  teacher  is  obliged  to  accompany  the 
children  to  church.  In  neither  case  is  there  any  allowance  made  for 
conscientious  objection,  while  in  practice  this  obligation  is  frequently 
extended  by  those  in  charge  of  schools,  compelling  the  children  to 
go  to  Confessional  and  Communion  with  their  class." 

However,  conditions  are  very  much  improved  over  what  they  were 


16 


a  few  years  ago.  One  of  the  members  of  the  Lima  Conference  was 
the  Rev.  Francisco  Penzotti,  the  story  of  whose  heroic  suffering 
should  be  known  by  all  who  are  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
Gospel  in  Latin  America.*  For  holding  Evangelical  services  in  the 
city  of  Callao  he  was  thrown  into  a  foul  dungeon  where  he  was  kept 
for  nine  months.  His  case  was  carried  up  through  every  court  before 
a  decision,  given  under  pressure,  set  him  free.  Twenty  years  ago 
Bibles  were  contraband  merchandise  in  the  Custom  House  of  Peru. 
Today  we  may  preach  the  Gospel  freely,  and  the  Scriptures  are 
now  sold  publicly  wherever  the  colporteur  cares  to  travel. 

Public  opinion  has  also  been  modified.  The  influence  of  the 
missionary's  personal  life,  the  evangelical  schools,  and  the  splendid 
self-denying  work  of  the  staff  of  trained  nurses  in  the  Evangelical 
Union  of  South  America  stations  in  the  interior,  have  gradually  brought 
home  a  truer  notion  of  what  the  Evangelical  movement  really  stands 
for.  The  public  mind  is  also  much  better  informed.  In  addition  to 
the  influences  just  mentioned,  the  stream  of  Evangelical  publications 
and  thousands  of  copies  of  Holy  Scripture  being  perused  by  the  people, 
have  spread  abroad  a  clearer  idea  of  our  doctrines,  have  awakened 
many  to  the  Gospel  truth,  and  very  many  more  to  a  sympathy  with 
the  movement. 

Roman  Catholic  churches  abound  in  Lima,  there  are  more  than 
seventy  of  them.  But  we  saw  few  worshippers.  The  dominant 
Church  has  large  wealth,  social  power,  and  political  influence,  but  so 
far  as  could  be  learned  from  our  short  stay  its  moral  influence  is 
small.  The  writer  of  these  lines  was  in  the  home  of  a  worthy 
citizen  of  Lima  whose  boys  are  attending  the  Presbyterian  School 
in  the  City  of  Santiago.  This  man  said,  "I  am  glad  to  have  my 
boys  in  the  Santiago  School.  They  are  making  men  of  them.  In 
Peru  our  schools  fail  to  make  men."'^  ^^  '° 

In  the  report  presented  to  the  Congress  at  Santiago  a  statement 
is^made  that  the  ex-Rector  of  the  University,  speaking  of  the  uni- 
versity and  the  liceos  (high  schools)  once  said,  "We  turn  out  good 
scholars,  but  for  some  reason  we  do  not  turn  out  good  citizens." 

The  Evangelical  mission  work  in  Peru  is  small  compared  to  the  vast 
establishments  of  the  dominant  church,  but  its  effect  is  apparent  on 
every  side.  The  entire  evangelical  force  in  all  Peru  is  most  inadequate 
to  meet  the  pressing  demands  made  upon  it. 

There  are  twelve  departments  in  Peru,  averaging  each  about  the 
area  of  Holland,  which  are  entirely  unoccupied  by  any  evangelical 
agents.  The  total  staff  of  the  several  missions  giving  their  time  mainly 
to  evangelistic  and  pastoral  work,  including  men  and  women,  is 
nineteen  married  couples,  two  single  men,  and  eight  single  women.     In 

*Sce  pamphlet  pviblishcd  by  the  .American  Bible  Society. 


18 


13  —  Cathedral     at 
Lima,  Peru 


15 —  Native  horre 
near  Chosica, 
Peru.  Note  the 
cracks  in  the  mud 
walls 


19 


addition  there  are  three  married  foreign  missionaries,  devoting 
themselves  entirely  to  the  school  work,  and  to  the  Bible  Society. 
Even  when  the  native  force,  which  is  small,  is  added,  the  inadequacy 
of  the  missionary  to  the  task  is  glaringly  apparent.  There  are 
not  ten  organized  Protestant  churches  in  the  whole  country.  The 
Methodist  Church  has  developed  some  excellent  schools  and  the 
Evangelical  Union  has  a  flourishing  industrial  mission  at  Cuzco. 
Their  extensive  farm  school  in  the  midst  of  a  numerous  Indian  popu- 
lation is  helping  to  solve  a  proplem  that  is  not  peculiar  to  Peru,  but  to 
a  greater  or  less  extent  affects  all  of  South  America.  But  when  you 
enumerate  every  agency  and  every  type  of  Christian  activity,  it 
seems  insignificant  to  meet  a  needy  population  of  6,000,000  people. 
The  missionary  bodies  at  work  in  Peru  are  the  Evangelical  Union 
of  South  America,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  Seventh 
Day  Adventists,  the  Salvation  Army  and  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society.  Of  the  total  foreign  staff,  a  large  number  are  in  Lima 
and  Callao,  the  vast  provinces  outside  being  left  to  a  small  number 
of  workers.  The  door  is  open.  Much  religious  literature  is  being 
distributed.  Several  papers  are  published  by  the  various  missionary 
bodies.  Tracts  and  Bibles  are  freely  sold  and  distributed.  Public 
opinion  favors  the  evangelical  missionary  more  than  at  any  time 
during  the  last  fifteen  years.  A  clear  idea  of  the  situation  can  be 
seen  from  some  of  the  findings  adopted  by  the  Lima  Congress,  after 
four  days  of  most  earnest  discussion  of  the  several  problems  involved, 
by  men  who  have  given  their  lives  to  the  work  of  evangelizing  Peru. 
The  unoccupied  area  of  Peru,  as  already  intimated,  is  very  large. 
The  northern  half  of  the  Republic,  with  a  population  of  more  than 
2,000,000  people,  is  entirely  unoccupied,  save  for  a  few  sporadic 
efforts  along  the  coast,  and  in  the  other  half  of  the  Republic  there 
are  many  points  as  yet  untouched. 

The  harvest  is  plenteous  but  the  laborers  are  few.  In  the  museum 
at  Lima  are  many  objects  of  historical  interest  and  of  artistic  merit. 
Two  especially  interested  us,  the  wooden  cross  brought  by  Pizarro 
and  implanted  by  the  hands  of  this  doughty  warrior  in  the  soil  of  Peru 
and  the  noble  painting,  "The  Last  of  the  Incas,"  in  which  the  artist 
represents  the  priest  as  holding  a  cross  before  the  eyes  of  the  dying 
Inca  Chieftain.  It  was  toward  evening  as  we  passed  out  of  the  museum 
with  the  vision  of  these  two  crosses  vividly  impressed  on  our  minds. 
Crosses  abound  everywhere  in  Lima  and  Peru,  but  the  toiling  millions 
in  the  land  once  ruled  by  the  Incas  are  worshipping  a  dead  Saviour, 
.and  are  looking  in  vain  for  the  Living  Christ. 


20 


Indian  women 
on  horseback, 
Lima,  Peru 


Street  mer- 
chant on  burro, 
Lima,  Peru 


21 


LIMA  TO  SANTIAGO 

■^HE  Chilian  steamer  "Aysen"  brought  us  in  safety 
and  comfort  from  Callao  to  Valparaiso,  the  seaport 
of  Santiago,  in  seven  days.  We  left  on  March 
8th  and  arrived  on  the  15  th.  Few  stops  were 
]  made  by  the  way.  The  second  morning  we  arrived 
at  MoUendo,  a  busy  place,  second  only  to  Callao 
in  commerce,  although  a  much  inferior  city  in  other  ways.  Here 
a  number  of  our  missionaries,  who  had  been  present  at  the  Panama 
Congress,  left  us  for  their  stations  in  Bolivia. 

Boliva  is  spoken  of  as  the  "Tibet  of  South  America."  It  is  the 
hermit  land,  shut  in  by  great  mountain  peaks  and  together  with 
Paraguay  is  the  only  country  of  South  America  without  a  seacoast. 
La  Paz,  the  capital,  is  a  city  in  the  clouds,  with  an  elevation  twice 
that  of  Denver,  and  yet  at  this  height  of  two  miles  it  is  only  half 
way  up  the  Cordilleras,  whose  highest  peak,  Aconcagua,  is  22,858 
feet  high. 

Bolivia,  because  of  its  isolation,  is  one  of  the  backward  countries 
where  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  long  held  sway.  It  was 
not  until  1Q05  that  religious  liberty  was  granted,  and  civil  marriage 
not  recognized  until  IQ12.  Recently  the  State  has  taken  over  some 
of  the  vast  church  property.  A  Sunday  rest  law  has  been  recently 
promulgated.  There  are  about  two  and  one-half  million  inhabitants, 
one-tenth  of  whom  belong  to  the  upper  class.  About  one  and  a 
half  million  are  Indians  and  750,000  mixed.  The  traditions  and 
customs  of  the  people  have  been  a  bar  to  progress. 

The  Canadian  Baptists  and  the  Methodists  have  work  in  Bolivia, 
but  the  force  is  pitiably  small.  There  are  not  a  dozen  Evangelical 
churches  in  the  whole  country. 

The  barren  hills  and  the  sterile  coast  all  along  the  west  from 
Panama  well  typify  the  moral  conditions  of  these  many  millions 
in  Ecuador,  Peru,  Bolivia,  and  Chile. 

Arica*  was  the  first  Chilian  port  at  which  we  were  permitted  to 
embark.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  meet  a  good  Methodist  brother  and 
to  hold  service  in  the  little  Evangelical  church  in  which  he  ministers. 
On  the  walls  of  this  House  of  the  Lord  was  this  sentence:  "We  have 
one  Master,  even  Christ,  and  all  we  are  brethren."      This   was  well 


16 — Gathering  out- 
side the  Metho- 
distChurchwhere 
service  was  held, 
Arica,  Chile 


18 — Boy  carrying 
water  in  Stand- 
ard Oil  tins, 
Arica,  Chile 


23 


illustrated  in  the  deputation  that  held  service  that  afternoon.  There 
were  present  a  Methodist  Bishop,  a  President  of  a  Disciples  College, 
a  Congregational  minister,  two  secretaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions,  and  a  group  of  godly  men  and  women  representing 
a  number  of  different  denominations. 

The  next  important  port  south  of  Arica'*  is  Iquique,  one  of  the  cities 
whose  wealth  has  been  derived  from  the  nitrate  industry.  At  Iquique 
we  visited  the  fine  school  carried  on  by  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
were  interested  to  note  that  among  the  students,  in  addition  to 
Chilians,  there  were  Japanese  and  Chinese  lads.  At  an  early  morning 
hour  the  church  was  crowded  with  a  group  of  eager  worshippers, 
ready  to  welcome  the  members  of  the  delegation  and  to  listen  to  the 
word  of  God. 

The  Chilian  seemed  more  alert  than  the  Peruvian.  Everything 
indicated  an  aggressive  and  energetic  people.  The  limited  stay  of 
the  vessel  did  not  permit  us  to  inspect  the  splendid  work  carried 
on  by  the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  Churches  in  this  northern 
section  of  Chile.  There  are  several  centers  occupied  by  the  mis- 
sionary bodies,  and  here  is  one  of  the  great  open  doors  in  Chile. 

In  the  north  the  men  who  own  and  administer  the  great  nitrate 
companies  are  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the  work  of  the  missionary, 
possibly,  because  of  the  material  advantages  which  the  Gospel  affords 
to  their  employees.  They  have  aided  our  missionaries  in  many 
ways.     The  opportunities  for  work  are  limited  only  by  lack  of  workers. 

One's  heart  goes  out  to  these  thousands  of  men  and  women  and 
little  children  who  live  and  work  under  the  appalling  conditions  in 
the  nitrate  district.  "After  twelve  and  often  eighteen  hours  of  the 
hardest  physical  labor,  much  of  it  under  a  broiling  tropical  sun, 
in  the  nitrate  pits  getting  out  the  raw  materials,  loading  it  on  cars, 
feeding  the  crushers,  or  tending  the  boiling  vats,  the  only  relaxation 
the  men  know  is  the  bar  and  the  gambling  den,  where  they  leave  the 
most  of  their  wages.  The  horrible  little  huts  built  of  corrugated 
iron  in  interminable  rows,  with  only  a  thin  wall  to  separate  families, 
many  of  the  huts  without  windows,  without  ventilation,  with  the 
sand  of  the  desert  for  a  floor,  without  the  most  primitive  sanitary 
arrangements,  scorching  under  the  mid-day  sun,  chilling  in  the  wintry 
nights, — what  enticement  do  they  afford  from  the  grog-shop']'  And 
how  the  children  swarm;  swarthy,  half-naked,  with  no  acquaintance 
with  water  since  they  entered  the  world;  these  are  the  fathers  and 
mothers  and  the  citizens  of  "to-morrow." 

There  are  groups  of  believers  scattered  all  through  these  nitrate 
fields,  and  the  story  of  the  work  being  done  is  one  of  the  romances 
of  missionary  life  in  Latin  America. 

"A  little  o\er  a  year  ago  a  building  was  completed  at  Santa  Isabel. 


24 


21 — Oxen  in  front 
of  Union  Church, 
Santiago,  Chile. 
Note  the  yoke  on 
their  heads 


25 


A  hall  was  erected  for  Christian  service,  and  among  those  who  gathered 
to  witness  the  ceremony  was  the  big  Superintendent  of  machinery. 
He  was  head  and  shoulders  over  the  average  Chilian,  a  man  of  power- 
ful build,  a  good  workman  when  sober,  but  he  spent  two-thirds  of 
his  time  in  drunken  debauchery,  and  was  the  terror  of  his  employer 
and  fellow- workmen.  One  day  a  comrade  invited  him  to  go  to  a 
meeting  held  by  the  Evangelical  Christians.  He  had  nothing  to 
do  and  he  went.  The  young  girl  who  presided  at  the  organ  played 
an  air  which  charmed  and  haunted  him.  That  night  the  grog-shop 
and  the  gambling  den  lost  their  best  customer.  On  the  night  of  the 
dedication  the  light  of  heaven  shone  on  his  scarred  and  rugged  face 
as  he  stood  up  before  his  comrades  and  said,  "You  fellows  know 
what  I  was  and  you  know  what  has  changed  me.  Come  and  try  it, 
men.  Jesus  will  c'o  the  same  for  each  of  you."  It  was  a  source  of 
deep  regret  that  we  were  not  permitted  to  visit  this  wonderful  field 
of  missionary  operation. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has  three  organized  churches  in  the  north, 
each  with  a  commodious  edifice.  They  are  stationed  at  Tocopilla. 
at  Taltal  and  at  Copiapo.  These  churches  are  centers  of  activity 
with  preaching,  Sunday  School,  Christian  Endeavor,  Women's  Leagues, 
Children's  Meetings,  etc. 

In  Valparaiso  there  is  a  strong  Evangelical  work  domi- 
nantly  evangelistic  and  educational.  There  is  the  Union  Church,'"  "^ 
attended  by  English-speaking  residents  and  self-supporting.  It 
is  located  in  the  busy  downtown  section  and  draws  its  congre- 
gation from  all  parts  of  the  city  and  from  the  suburbs.  There  is 
an  Anglican  Church,  German  Lutheran,  Methodist  and  the  San 
Martin  Presbyterian,""  "''  which  is  the  center  of  the  Presbyterian 
work  for  the  district.  It  is  located  in  a  needy  and  crowded  sec- 
tion of  the  city  and  is  doing  a  splendid  work  among  the 
Chilians. 

In  addition  to  our  work  in  the  San  Martin  Church  we  have  in 
Valparaiso  the  splendid  "Escuela  Popular, '"^  "'  which  is  a  day 
and  boarding  school.  It  has  elementary  and  secondary  departments. 
It  is  training  teachers  who  will  conduct  other  popular  schools  for 
needy  children  in  strategic  centers.  We  visited  half  a  dozen  of  these 
schools  located  in  and  near  Valparaiso  and  were  convinced  of  the 
abundant  opportunity  they  afford  to  reach  scores  of  homes  with 
the  message  of  evangelical  Christianity.  What  is  the  school  room  on 
week  days  becomes  the  preaching  place  and  Sunday  School  on  Sun- 
days and  thus  a  large  number  of  people  is  reached.  On  the  Sunday 
the  writer  spent  in  Valparaiso  there  was  in  attendance  at  our  various 
Presbyterian  Sunday  Schools  about  one-tenth  of  the  entire  Evangelical 
Sunday    School    enrolment    for    all    Chile.     The  evangelistic  note  is 


26 


22— Primary  Department  in  San  Martin  Presbyterian  Church,  Valparaiso,  Chile 


23— Sunday  School  of  the  San  Martin  Presbyterian  Church,  Valparaiso,  Chile 

27 


24 — Primary  Department,  "Escuela   Popular,"  Valparaiso,  Chile 


25 — Children  in  playground  ot   "ti^cucla  Popular,"  Valparaiso,  Chile 


dominant  in  all  the  work  that  is  being  carried  on  by  Presbyterians  in 
Valparaiso. 

The  Chile  Congress  was  not  held  in  Vaparaiso  but  in  Santiago, 
the  capital  of  the  Republic.  Its  population  of  500,000  is  double  that 
of  Valparaiso.  Santiago  is  in  the  Central  District,  the  garden  spot 
of  Chile.  Agriculture  flourishes;  there  is  rain  and  sufficient  water 
for  irrigation  where  the  rain  fails;  the  climate  is  mild,  the  soil  pro- 
ductive, flowers  bloom  and  cereals  are  abundant.  From  early  days 
it  has  been  the  seat  of  the  Government.  Here  are  the  universities 
and  the  principal  institutions  of  learning.  But  in  all  this  vast  section 
with  2,700,000  people,  or  three-fourths  of  the  total  population  of 
Chile,  there  are  only  34  organized  Evangelical  churches.  Such  a 
statement  carries  its  own  lesson.'*'  "'  -' 

The  Congress  at  Santiago  was  unique.  At  the  first  meeting  echoes 
from  Panama  were  heard.  It  was  encouraging  to  see  the  Union 
Church  crowded  to  the  doors  with  a  group  of  eager  worshippers, 
who  remained  deeply  interested  until  nearly  eleven  o'clock  at  night, 
listening  to  the  story  of  the  Panama  Congress  as  told  in  English, 
or  Spanish  or  Portuguese,  by  representatives  of  the  deputation.  The 
meeting  the  next  evening,  however,  was  the  event  of  the  Congress. 
The  Committee,  with  great  faith  and  large  vision,  had  hired  one  of 
the  finest  theatres  in  all  Santiago.  It  was  crowded  to  the  doors.  No 
better  idea  of  the  impression  produced  by  this  meeting  on  the  non- 
Evangelical  can  be  given  than  by  the  following  article: — 

THE   ADVANCE   OF   PROTESTANTISM 

(Translated  from  "La  Union"  of  Santiago  de  Chile.) 

"Some  of  the  daily  papers  gave  the  notice,  recently,  of  the  arrival  in 
the  country  of  certain  delegates  to  the  Congress  on  Christian  Work 
which  was  recently  held  in  Panama. 

For  this  reason,  there  was  to  be  held  in  a  theatre  of  this  city,  a 
great  meeting  to  which  all  the  Evangelicals  of  Santiago  were  invited, 
in  order  that  they  might  hear  the  message  of  these  delegates  and  come 
to  know  of  the  decisions  formulated  in  that  great  assembly. 

This  invitation  provoked  our  curiosity.  We  had  heard  mention 
made  of  this  Protestant  sect  which  our  people  has  christened  with 
the  picturesque  name  of  "Canutos. ' '  * 

We  had  the  impression  that  the  Lutheran  religion  had  gained  some 
ground  among  us,  thanks  to  the  persevering  labor  of  the  Salvation 
Army  which,  under  pretence  of  fighting  alcoholism,  is  carrying  forward 
a  formidable  propaganda  in  favor  of  Protestantism. 

*A11  Protestants  in  Chile  are  called  "Canutos,"  the  name  signifying  followers  of  Canute,  one  of  the  best  known 
of  the  early  preachers. 


29 


26— Rev.W.  H.  Les- 
ter, D.  D.,  and 
family  in  their 
patio  (garden), 
Santiago,  Chile 


27—  A  double- 
decker  trolley  in 
front  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chile, 
Santiago 


i — 1 nterior  of 
Holy  Trinity 
Presbyterian 
Church,  Santi- 
ago, Chile 


30 


In  a  word,  we  were  convinced,  beforehand,  that  Protestantism, 
in  spite  of  its  exotic  character,  as  regards  the  mentality,  the  mode  of 
life  and  the  religious  traditions  of  our  people,  had  gained  a  few  adepts 
among  the  Chilians. 

But  we  never  thought  that  the  thing  might  assume  greater  propor- 
tions. In  going  to  the  Theatre  of  the  Comedy,  we  imagined  that  we 
would  find  it  more  or  less  filled  with  foreigners,  numerous  misses  and 
ladies;  a  few  Chilians  more  or  less  curious,  like  ourselves;  a  few 
women  of  our  land,  and  a  very,  very  few  specimens  of  the  male  citizens 
of  the  native  land  of  O'Higgins  and  Arthur  Prat,  who,  as  is  known, 
are  ardent  devotees  of  the  Virgin  of  Carmen. 

Our  surprise,  therefore,  was  great  when  we  found  the  theatre  full 
from  the  pit  to  the  highest  gallery,  all  the  seats  occupied  by  a  gather- 
ing that,  it  is  true  was  cosmopolitan,  but  in  which  the  national  element 
predominated. 

On  the  main  floor  numerous  foreigners  were  to  be  seen,  both  men 
and  women;  there  were  also  present  a  good  number  of  Chilians,  and 
of  Chilian  women,  in  particular.     The  same  may  be  said  of  the  boxes. 

But,  when  we  came  to  the  galleries.  There  was  a  complete  dearth 
of  foreigners.  The  Creole  element  filled  them  completely.  Men 
and  women  were  crowded  together  in  them,  like  clusters  of  grapes, 
without  showing  the  slightest  weariness  in  that  ill-smelling,  thick 
atmosphere. 

One  might  think  that  we  were  to  witness  the  debut  of  some  famous 
production,  and  that  in  anticipation  of  the  coming  pleasure  no  one 
paid  the  slightest  attention  to  the  inconveniences  of  the  moment. 

Thus  the  moment  came  for  the  opening  of  the  program.  The 
curtains  were  drawn  and  the  platform  came  into  view  occupied  by 
the  desk  of  the  president,  and  behind  this  groups  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
who  as  we  afterward  saw,  formed  the  chorus  of  singers. 

In  the  front  row  there  were  a  number  of  gentlemen  who  wore  the 
high  collar  and  the  frock  coat  which  are  the  characteristic  dress  of 
the  Protestant  pastors,  and  of  the  professors  in  the  colleges  which 
the  sect  has  among  us.  At  one  extreme  of  the  platform  sat  Colonel 
Bonnett,  the  head  of  the  Salvation  Army  in  Chile,  and  scattered  over 
the  platform  were  brigadiers,  soldiers,  and  female  soldiers  of  that 
same  army,  with  their  characteristic  uniform. 

The  program  was  begun.  A  gentleman  who  occupied  the  place  of 
president  and  who,  we  understand,  was  a  bishop,  invited  us  in  the 
Portuguese  tongue,  to  sing  a  hymn.  It  should  be  stated  that  as  the 
people  came  in,  all  received  a  small  booklet  full  of  religious  songs. 
At  first  we  supposed  it  was  a  sort  of  keepsake,  such  as  are  given  out 
at  concerts,  but  we  were  to  find  out  that  it  had  a  practical  application; 
the  booklets  contained  just  the  hymns  which  were  to  be  sung.     In 


31 


this  way,  the  audience  could  accompany  the  chorus  on  the  platform 
and  the  singing  soon  assumed  the  character  of  a  general  invocation. 

When  the  hymn  was  finished,  the  Bishop  President  gave  us  in  a 
few  words  the  object  of  the  meeting.  There  were  present  three 
delegates  to  the  Congress  of  Panama  and  they  desired  to  speak  to 
the  Chilian  Evangelicals.  We  were  to  hear  three  renowned  orators, 
and  they  would  speak  to  us,  respectively,  in  the  language  of  Shakes- 
peare, of  Camoens,  and  of  Cervantes,  since  one  of  them  was  a  North 
American,  another  was  a  Brazilian,  and  the  third  an  Argentine. 

And  immediately  he  presented  the  North  American,  adding  that 
consolatory  notice  that  his  discourse  would  be  translated  into  Spanish 
by  another  Reverend.  And  so  it  was,  the  North  American  orator 
arose  and  with  great  emphasis  began  his  discourse,  with  a  vibrant  sal- 
utation to  Panama,  in  which  he  dwelt  on  the  great  work  of  the  canal  and 
described  it  as  one  of  the  greatest  triumphs  of  human  energy  and  skill. 

He  then  spoke  of  the  meaning  of  the  Congress  in  Panama,  in  con- 
nection with  the  religious  ideals  pursued  by  Protestantism.  There 
were  in  that  Congress  21  flags,  which  signified  that  there  were  just 
that  same  number  of  peoples  who  were  thirsty  for  the  Gospel.  Those 
flags  spoke  of  liberty,  of  wealth,  of  commerce,  of  power,  and  yet 
neither  liberty,  nor  wealth,  nor  commerce,  nor  power  were  sufficient 
to  make  these  peoples  happy,  unless,  together  with  having  these 
things,  they  possessed  a  spiritual  life. 

It  pained  him  to  confess  that  not  all  those  peoples  were  living 
according  to  the  teaching  of  Christianity,  among  them  his  own  land 
which  he  so  dearly  loved. 

But  in  order  to  live  like  a  Christian,  it  was  necessary  to  snatch 
men  from  the  darkness  of  ignorance.  Therefore,  one  of  the  duties 
of  the  Congress  should  be  that  of  aiding  in  the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  in 
such  a  way  that  at  the  side  of  each  temple  there  should  be  a  school, 
where  mankind  might  learn  to  read  in  the  great  book,  in  the  Book  of 
Books,  in  the  Bible,  where  are  to  be  found  the  destinies  of  humanity. 

Such  was  the  discourse  of  the  reverend  North  American,  which, 
thanks  to  the  interpreter,  was  perfectly  understood  by  all  his  hearers, 
although  in  the  translation  a  good  part  of  the  emphasis  and  fervid 
eloquence  was  lost.  The  orator  and  the  interpreter  did  not  comple- 
ment each  other,  for  in  temperament  they  seemed  to  be  diametrically 
opposed  the  one  to  the  other. 

But  in  spite  of  this,  the  matter  was  perfectly  understood,  and  this 
was  what  interested  us. 

After  we  had  sung  another  hymn  as  before,  the  reverend  president 
announced  that  we  were  now  to  hear  the  language  of  Camoens,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  Brazilian  orator. 

He  was  a  gentleman  of  venerable  aspect,  and  of  splendid  figure. 


By  the  terms  in  which  he  was  introduced  we  learned  that  he  was  an 
eminent  Evangelical  pastor  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  His  language  was 
essentially  mystic.  His  discourse  was  really  a  sermon  on  the  need  of 
the  spiritual  life;  that  is  the  religious  life,  not  only  for  individual 
felicity  but  also  for  the  felicity  and  grandeur  of  the  nation.  He 
insisted  in  particular  on  the  transforming  power  of  religion.  The 
sciences,  art,  riches,  cannot  in  themselves  regenerate  the  individual. 
Only  religion  has  power  to  illuminate  the  conscience  of  the  good 
thief,  and  to  place  in  his  lips  the  redeeming  word  of  pardon.  Religion, 
the  divine  principle  that  fills  it,  was  that  which  produced  a  reaction 
in  Saul  of  Tarsus  and  converted  him  from  an  implacable  persecuter 
of  the  Christians  into  a  formidable  champion  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
into  the  great  Apostle  Saint  Paul. 

The  orator  becomes  more  and  more  enthusiastic,  more  and  more 
fervid.  His  tropical  imagination  suggests  brilliant  similes.  Taking 
a  walk  in  Santa  Lucia*  he  found  a  strange  inscription, — "To  those 
who  are  expatriated  from  Heaven  and  Earth."  The  place  which 
is  today  one  of  the  most  enchanting  parks  in  the  city,  was,  at  one 
time,  a  cemetery.  In  the  same  way  ought  religion  to  work  in  the 
soul,  transforming  it,  purifying  it,  beautifying  it.  The  human 
heart,  too,  is  customarily  a  cemetery,  in  which  lie  faith  and  hope. 
That  heart  must  be  awakened  to  life,  infusing  into  it  the  Spirit  of 
Christ.  It  must  be  converted  into  a  garden,  from  which  man  can 
address  the  Creator  with  those  immortal  words,  "Our  Father,  who 
art  in  Heaven." 

The  assembly,  carried  away  with  its  emotions,  applauds  wildly. 
A  breath  of  mysticism  passes  through  that  theatre  which  is  called 
"The  Comedy." 

A  still  more  fervent  hymn  is  sung,  with  the  greatest  unction,  as 
an  harmonizing  echo  of  the  discourse.  Then  the  president  introduces 
the  E\'angelical  pastor  of  Rosario,  Argentina,  who  is  to  speak  to  us  in 
the  language  of  Cervantes. 

This  orator  shows  from  the  very  first  moment  that  he  knows  the 
weak  side  of  the  Chilians,  consequently  as  soon  as  he  advances  to 
the  front  of  the  platform,  he  takes  out  two  flags,  one  the  Chilian, 
the  other  the  Argentina,  and  unfolds  them  interlaced.  A  thunder  of 
applause  greets  this  simple  manoeuvre  and  when  he  salutes  the  flags, 
evoking  the  glorious  days  of  Naipo  and  Chacabuco,  we  have  no  power 
to  describe  how  the  thunder  is  converted  into  a  veritable  tempest  of 
applause. 

The  discourse  of  this  orator  is  an  apology  of  Protestantism.  He 
makes  it  clear  that  his  is  the  revealed,  the  only  religion,  founded  by 
Jesus  Christ  himself. 

'A  public  park  in  Santiago. 

33 


His  striking  gestures,  his  resounding  voice,  his  vigorous  phraseology, 
his  sober  mimicry, — all  give  to  the  orator  the  aid  of  one  who  is  carried 
away  by  his  passion,  of  one  who  is  vehement,  a  fanatic.  His  concep- 
tions are  like  his  physical  characteristics,  instead  of  convincing,  he 
seems  to  crush  down  opposition.  They,  the  Evangelicals,  admit  one 
and  only  God,  one  only  law,  one  only  Lord.  One  only  God,  that  is 
to  say,  a  loving  father,  who  does  not  punish  his  sinning  son,  but 
sacrifices  himself  to  save  him.  One  only  law,  that  is  to  say,  the 
Bible,  which  is  the  only  code  according  to  which  the  Evangelical 
ought  to  adjust  his  life,  there  being  no  human  power  which  can  oblige 
him  to  accept  other  rites  or  precepts.  One  only  Lord,  one  only 
mediator,  one  only  priest,  one  only  way  to  reach  God,  that  mediator 
is  Jesus  Christ,  and  with  Him  there  is  no  need  of  more. 

This  fervid  discourse  has  produced  a  suggestion  of  mysticism. 
When  the  orator  speaks  of  God,  there  fall  from  the  galleries  such 
phrases  as  these  uttered  with  trembling  voices,  "Hallelujah!  Glory 
to  God!"  But  little  was  lacking  to  produce  symptoms  of  hysterics; 
cries,  sighs,  self-accusation.  The  atmosphere  was  saturated  with 
these  spiritual  aspirations. 

The  orator  feels  that  he  dominates  the  situation.  His  voice,  far 
from  becoming  hoarse,  in  spite  of  the  high  pitch  in  which  he  speaks, 
seems  to  grow  stronger  and  stronger.  Protestantism  not  only  interests 
itself  in  the  soul,  it  busies  itself,  too,  in  material  things.  It  is  a  valuable 
ally  to  instruction  and  social  questions.  In  it  there  is  no  human  ine- 
quality. Inequality  is  an  invention  of  man.  God  has  created  his 
children  absolutely  equal;  and  if  there  are  beings  who  die  of  hunger 
and  have  no  bread  with  which  to  fill  their  mouths,  this  is  not  because 
the  common  Father  is  a  miser,  the  earth  produces  three  times  more 
than  that  which  humanity  needs  for  its  support.  The  trouble  lies 
in  the  fact  that  man  has  forgotten  that  he  is  a  brother  of  man,  and 
that  it  is  not  lawful  for  him  to  build  his  happiness  on  a  heap 
of  corpses. 

The  benefits  of  Protestantism  are  not  yet  exhausted.  It  is  there 
that  the  arts  and  sciences  flourish,  the  nations  that  march  in  the  very 
vanguard  of  civilization  are  those  which  profess  the  Evangelical 
religion,  and  if  it  is  true  that  some  of  those  nations  are  now  at  war, 
it  is  perhaps  that  in  them  is  being  produced  again  the  episode  of 
Job,  the  Patriarch.  Satan,  who  was  jealous  of  his  fidelity  to  God, 
overwhelmed  him  with  suffering  and  disappointments.  But,  in- 
asmuch as  his  faith  held  true,  the  Lord  recompensed  him,  returning 
to  him  more  than  he  had.  So  in  the  present  case.  Satan,  envious 
of  the  splendor  which  those  nations,  under  the  protection  of  the 
Gospel,  had  reached,  has  unchained  on  them  the  horrible  plague 
of  war.     But  surely,  they   will   rise   above   this    trial,  and  God  will 


34 


return  unto  them,  with  interest,  that  which  they  have  lost  in  order 
that  they  may  continue  their  glorious  way. 

Thus  spoke  the  orator,  and  with  a  final  hymn,  this  meeting  of  the 
Evangelicals  of  Santiago  came  to  an  end.  The  congregation  went 
out  with  a  grave  demeanor,  receiving  at  the  door  a  copy  of  the  '"Chris- 
tian Herald,"  which  we  understand,  is  like  an  official  organ  of  the 
sect. 

For  us,  all  this  had  been  a  revelation.  Protestantism  has  advanced 
considerably  among  us.  Its  apostles,  those  who  propagate  it,  its 
elements  of  action,  are  formidable.  We  propose  to  study,  with  all 
calmness  and  with  a  spirit  free  from  passions,  that  which  this  advance 
means  for  the  country.  We  believe  that  it  involves  grave  peril  for 
our  social  tranquillity,  for  the  harmony  of  the  Chilian  family.  Far 
be  it  from  us  to  suppose  that  its  agents  and  propagandists  deliberately 
intend  to  create  these  disturbances.  But  their  work  is  bound  to 
have  such  an  unfortunate  result,  because  they  aspire  to  the  making 
of  Protestantism  the  national  religion  and  this  pretension,  as  history 
shows,  has  made  seas  of  blood  to  run  and  has  sunk  in  misery  those 
peoples  who  have  fallen  into  those  abysses  of  misfortune  known  as 
religious  wars.  ' 

(Signed)     Peter  Sauchez. 


We  do  not  wonder  that  the  writer  of  the  article  was  astonished 
at  what  he  saw  and  heard  on  that  evening  in  the  theatre. 

Two  days  later,  in  the  great  hall  of  the  University  of  Chile  a  large 
meeting  for  students  was  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Congress. 
The  following  week  the  students  themselves  arranged  a  mass  meeting 
in  honor  of  Professor  Eduardo  Monteverde,  and  the  Rev.  Charles  J. 
Ewald,  General  Secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for  Latin  America. 
Professor  Monteverde  is  connected  with  the  University  of  Uruguay 
and  is  Secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  was  President  of  the  Panama 
Congress,  a  member  of  the  delegation.  The  students  from  the 
University  filled  the  hall  and  were  most  enthusiastic  in  the  reception 
which  they  gave  to  Professor  Monteverde  and  his  fellow-workers. 
No  better  indication  could  be  had  of  the  interest  on  the  part  of  leading 
men  in  Santiago  in  the  Evangelical  Movement  than  these  three 
public  meetings  held  in  connection  with  the  Regional  Congress. 
They  mark  a  distinct  advance  in  the  history  of  the  Evangelical 
Movement  in  Chile,  and  if  nothing  else  had  been  done  in  the  Four 
Regional  Congresses  than  to  hold  these  gatherings,  they  would  have 
been  well  worth  the  money  and  the  time  spent  upon  them.  The 
educated  classes  in  Latin  America  have  not  been  reached  by  the 
Evangelical  work  and  these  indications  of  the  readiness  of  students 


35 


to  listen  to  men  who  came  with  a  distinct  Gospel  message  are 
suggestive  of  the  crisis  through  which  the  work  in  Latin  America 
is  now  passing.  So  impressed  were  the  members  of  the  Congress 
with  the  opportunities  presented  for  student  work  that  the  following 
resolution  was  adopted  on  the  last  day  of  the  Congress: — 

"The  Congress  finds  that  Santiago  is  the  strategic  center  for  work 
among  students,  of  whom  there  are  about  b,ooo  in  schools  and  higher 
institutions.  It,  therefore,  strongly  recommends  that  adequate 
provision  be  made  to  begin  Christian  work  among  them.  ' 

Two  of  our  Presbyterian  missionaries  are  by  appointment  instruc- 
tors in  the  University.  This  gives  them  a  standing  and  opens  the 
way  for  co-operation  between  the  mission  force  and  Christian  men 
in  the  University.  The  Union  Church  in  Santiago  is  very  near 
the  University  and  with  slight  additional  expense  could  easily  be 
used  in  connection  with  work  for  the  students.  A  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Secre- 
tary has  been  appointed  for  Santiago,  but  as  yet  there  is  no  organiza- 
tion and  no  building.  One  is  greatly  needed  and  a  proper  co-oper- 
ation between  it  and  the  mission  force  would  do  much  toward  reaching 
the  student  class  so  numerous  in  Santiago. 

It  was  a  great  privilege  on  the  Sunday  of  the  Congress  to  see  various 
aspects  of  Christian  work  in  Santiago.  There  are  two  strong  Presby- 
terian churches  in  Santiago,  the  "Church  of  the  Redeemer"  and 
"The  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity."  Both  have  national  pastors, 
and  they  give  every  evidence  of  being  strong  centers  of  Christian 
activity.  In  one  of  them  the  missionary,  who  was  formerly  the 
pastor,  is  now  the  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School,  and  works 
under  the  supervision  of  the  National  Pastor.  This  is  indicative 
of  the  fine  spirit  rapidly  developing  in  Chile,  and  in  other  parts  of 
Latin  America.  The  National  Church  is  more  and  more  assuming 
responsibility,  and  is  beginning  to  recognize  the  great  obligation 
which  rests  upon  it.  In  all  the  Regional  Congresses  the  slogan  was 
"A  National  Church  uniting  all  denominations  and  administered 
by  national  workers."  There  are  only  four  Presbyterian  churches 
in  the  three  large  cities  of  Santiago,  Valparaiso  and  Concepcion. 
The  combined  population  of  these  cities  represents  more  than  800,000 
people.  A  rude  chapel  in  the  outskirts  of  Santiago  was  shown  as 
the  place  where  service  was  being  held,  a  Sunday  School  and  Day 
School  in  full  operation,  and  the  prospect  of  a  church  organization 
in  the  near  future. 

The  Church  has  for  the  most  part  been  made  up  entirely  of  the 
poorer  classes  of  the  community.  They  have,  however,  a  very  good 
name  for  thrift,  industry  and  sobriety.  The  writer  of  these  lines 
asked  a  business  man  of  Santiago  how  the  Evangelicals  were  regarded. 
His  reply  is  significant: — 


36 


"The  Evangelicals  are  good  people.  They  do  not  drink,  are  in- 
dustrious, thrifty  and  make  good  citizens,  but  that  is  not  religion.  ' 

When  asked  what  he  meant  by  religion,  he  replied  that  attending 
mass,  confessional  and  the  services  of  the  Church.  Unconsciously 
he  outlined  the  whole  problem  presented  to  the  Protestant  Church 
in  Chile  and  Latin  America.  The  dominant  Church  is  a  formal 
institution,  requiring  formal  service,  but  with  little  deep  moral, 
ethical  or   spiritual   power. 

Moral  conditions  were  brought  vividly  before  us  when  one  day  we 
went  to  obtain  some  films  which  were  left  to  be  developed  at  a  photog- 
rapher's. He  apologized  that  they  were  not  ready  because  two 
days  before  had  been  pay  day  and  three  of  his  men  had  been  on  a 
drunken  debauch  since.  Then  he  frankly  stated  that  he  rejoiced 
that  pay  day  was  only  twice  a  month,  as  after  it  the  men  had  to  be 
away  for  a  day  or  two  on  account  of  dissipation.  In  the  report 
presented  to  the  Congress  on  "Survey  and  Occupation"  it  was  stated : — 

"Drunkenness  is  greatly  on  the  increase.  So  greatly  has  the  vice 
increased  that  Sunday  and  Monday  have  become,  among  the  working 
classes,  days  of  drunken  debauchery." 

Some  idea  of  conditions  can  be  obtained  from  further  statements 
and  reports  as  follows: — 

"It  is  stated  that  75  per  cent,  of  all  children  die  under  two  years  of 
age.  The  principal  reason  for  this  high  mortality  is  the  unsanitary 
conditions  in  which  the  great  number  are  compelled  to  live  .  .  . 
It  is  frequently  stated  that  7^  per  cent,  of  all  births  are  illegitimate  and 
this  proportion  is  more  or  less  correct.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  no  inconsiderable  number  contract  illegitimate  relations 
ignorantly.  They  mate  as  the  birds.  Their  conduct  is  unmoral 
rather  than  immoral.  But  after  making  all  due  allowance,  the 
fact  is  that  the  rate  of  illegitimacy  is  distressingly  high  .  .  .  We 
find  two  classes  in  Chile,  one  small,  rich,  educated,  absolute  in 
government,  ruling  in  many  respects  well — the  other  the  proletariat, 
large  in  number,  poor,  ignorant,  degraded." 

Moral  conditions  are  certainly  bad.  We  took  evidence  of  the 
barrel  window  in  connection  with  the  Orphan  Asylum  of  Providencia, 
Santiago.  There  are  about  one  thousand  children  in  this  asylum, 
ranging  from  2  days  old  to  16  years.  It  is  supported  by  a  government 
Committee  of  Charity  and  is  under  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
Foundlings  are  brought  to  the  window,  placed  in  the  barrel,  which 
revolves,  and  are  taken  out  on  the  other  side,  with  no  questions 
asked.*" 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Santiago  Congress,  one  of  the  members 
of  the  deputation  made  a  trip  to  southern  Chile  to  visit  the  Pres- 
byterian mission  stations  there  located.   The  first  stop  was  at  Curico, 


37 


32 — Interior  of  Presbyterian  Church,    lalca,  Chile 


29 — Barrel  window  in  Roman  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum,  Providencia,  Santiago 

38 


a  small  but  prosperous  city  located  in  the  beautiful  central  valley 
which  lies  between  the  Andes  on  the  east  and  the  Coast  Range  on 
the  west.  Our  equipment  at  Curico  consists  of  a  small  rented 
chapel  the  exterior  of  which  is  herewith  shown,  also  the  picture  of 
the  sexton  who,  with  his  wife  and  four  children,  occupy  the  quarters 
back  of  the  room  used  as  the  chapel.  There  are  possibilities  of  a 
much  larger  work  in  Curico  and  vicinity,  if  there  were  equipment 
both  in  building  and  in  teaching  force  for  a  school.  We  held  a  service 
in  the  little  chapel,  attended  by  a  few  faithful  believers. 

Leaving  Curico,  we  took  the  night  train  for  Concepcion,  the  largest 
city  in  Southern  Chile.  The  Methodists  have  two  splendid  schools 
here,  one  for  girls  and  another  for  boys.  They  also  have  a  church 
building  whose  exterior  was  the  most  attractive  of  any  Evangelical 
church  we  saw  on  the  entire  West  Coast  of  South  America. 

It  is  a  good  investment  to  construct  Protestant  churches  that 
appeal  to  the  beauty-loving  instinct  of  the  Latin  American.  He 
has  an  aesthetic  sense  to  which  too  little  regard  has  been  paid  in  the 
construction  of  most  of  the  mission  property  that  we  visited. 

Our  Presbyterian  property  in  Concepcion  consists  of  a  substantial 
church  with  adjoining  manse,  and  a  rented  building  on  the  outskirts 
known  as  the  "pampa  school"""  (school  on  the  prairies).''^  There  were 
forty  children  crowded  into  this  little  building  the  afternoon  we 
visited  it,  ranging  in  age  from  five  or  six  to  sixteen.  They  showed 
proficiency  in  drills  in  Bible,  geography  and  arithmetic.  Back  of 
the  building  is  a  small  play  ground  in  which  the  children  have  good 
times.  The  homes  from  which  they  come  are  very  poor.  The 
tenements  which  we  saw  in  Concepcion,  while  not  built  in  tiers  as 
in  North  American  cities,  had  the  same  squalor,  darkness  and  un- 
sanitary conditions  that  prevail  in  many  places  in  our  own  land. 
The  overcrowding  in  such  places  breeds  immorality  and  disease. 
The  opportunity  for  such  enterprises  as  the  "pampa  school"  are 
unlimited.  It  would  be  well  to  open  more  of  them  just  as  rapidly 
as  teachers  and  buildings  can  be  secured.  They  would  become  the 
centers  for  educational  evangelism. 

South  of  Concepcion,  we  have  three  small  out-stations  which  are 
visited  by  the  missionary  resident  at  Concepcion.  Leaving  Con- 
cepcion on  the  return  journey  we  went  north  and  stopped  first 
at  Chilian.  Our  time  permitted  only  the  twenty-minute-for-lunch 
period,  but  we  hired  an  antiquated  rig  at  the  depot  and  drove  like 
Jehu  to  inspect  our  little  chap)el  in  the  center  of  the  town.  In  appear- 
ance it  is  similar  to  others  in  the  various  out-stations  where  we  have 
established  work.  We  got  back  to  our  train  three  minutes  before  it 
pulled  out  and  shortly  afterwards  arrived  at  Talca. 

The  Talcans  have  a  proverb,  "Talca,  Paris  and  London."     If  you 


39 


30 — Pampa  School,  Concepcion,  Chile 


31 — Rear   of    Pampa    School    and    playground,   Concepcion 

40 


have  not  heard  before  of  the  first  of  this  trio,  it  is  your  misfortune 
in  the  estimate  of  the  Talcans.  The  city  is  beautifully  situated  in 
the  central  valley  and  is  moderately  progressive,  with  its  stores  and 
market,  its  theatre  and  flour  mill.  Our  Presbyterian  work  has  been 
established  here  for  a  number  of  years.  The  property  consists  of  a 
chapel  and  accompanying  manse,  well  located.''"  A  national  pastor 
and  his  wife  are  in  charge  and  are  doing  a  very  effective  work.  We 
were  greeted  by  a  large  audience  at  the  evening  service.  On  an 
opposite  corner  the  Roman  Catholics  have  built  a  church  with  a 
school  adjoining  for  the  purpose,  it  is  said,  of  running  out  the  Evan- 
gelicals, but  the  competition  has  in  no  way  proven  disastrous  to  our 
work.  Many  people  in  Talca  and  throughout  Chile  are  beginning 
to  see  the  value  of  the  Evangelical  work  and  are  its  loyal  supporters. 

One  of  the  hopeful  features  of  the  work  in  Santiago  is  the  Union 
Seminary,  in  which  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  have  joined  forces, 
and  while  the  organization  is  still  young,  it  is  full  of  promise.  We 
endorse  heartily  the  finding  of  the  Congress: — 

"The  Congress  notes  with  pleasure  the  beginning  of  a  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary  for  the  training  of  the  Chilian  ministry.  It  recom- 
mends that  the  interested  Boards  be  urged  to  strengthen  and  develop 
this  institution,  inviting  all  recognized  evangelical  bodies  at  work 
in  Chile  to  co-operate  in  its  support.  The  Congress  further  strongly 
recommends  the  organizing  in  connection  with  the  Seminary  of  a 
special  course  for  the  training  of  lay  workers,  such  as  colporteurs, 
Sunday  School  teachers  and  others." 

The  field  in  Chile  is  in  no  sense  occupied  by  the  dominant  church. 
In  the  report  presented  to  the  Congress  on  this  subject  it  was  stated : — 

"We  doubt  if  more  than  400  or  450  priests  devote  themselves  to 
the  spiritual  needs  of  the  three  and  a  half  millions  of  Chile's  pop- 
ulation." 

The  entire  number  of  ordained  Evangelical  missionaries  engaged 
in  the  English  and  Spanish  work  of  all  denominations,  Presbyterian, 
Methodist,  Anglican,  Christian  Alliance,  Baptist,  Salvation  Army, 
English  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  is  very  small. 


41 


SANTIAGO  TO  BUENOS  AIRES 


^HE  trip  from  Santiago  to  Buenos  Aires  over  the 
Andes  affords  abundant  opportunity  for  seeing 
the  grandest  of  mountain  scenery.  The  train  leaves 
Santiago  in  the  early  evening,  and  the  passenger 
]  spends  the  night  at  Los  Andes  at  the  base  of  the 
mountains.  The  railroad  runs  along  the  Aconcagua 
River,  on  which  Los  Andes  is  situated,  then  up  a  beautiful 
valley^  which  grows  narrower  as  you  ascend,  passing  quickly 
from  tropical  vegetation  to  barren  rocks  and  snow,  and  from 
scenes  of  exquisite  beauty  to  the  grandeur  of  the  mountain  peaks. 
It  was  after  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  we  arrived  at  Mendoza, 
a  city  of  45,000,  the  largest  in  West  Argentina,  on  the  eastern  base 
of  the  Andes.  By  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  almost  the  entire  depu- 
tation was  in  the  beautiful  and  commodious  Methodist  Church 
attending  a  meeting  held  to  welcome  the  delegates  from  Panama. 
It  was  delightful  to  see  a  church  crowded  with  eager  worshippers  who 
stayed  to  a  late  hour  listening  to  short  and  crisp  addresses  on  Panama 
and  the  Regional  Congresses. 

From  Mendoza  we  sped  on  to  Buenos  Aires  where  the  Third  Re- 
gional Congress  was  held.  We  were  at  once  hurried  by  automobiles 
through  the  magnificent  streets  and  passed  the  stately  buildings 
and  beautiful  parks  of  this  great  city  of  Argentina.  Within  half  an 
hour  of  our  arrival  in  town,  we  had  opened  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Congress  in  a  large  hall  in  the  center  of  the  city.  It  was  an  enthusi- 
astic audience  that  greeted  the  deputation.  The  band  of  the  Salva- 
tion Army  led  the  music.  Hymn  sheets  scattered  throughout  the 
hall  gave  an  opportunity  for  all  to  join  in  the  singing,  and  the  addresses, 
short  and  full  of  the  Panama  spirit,  were  received  with  applause  by 
the  assembly. 

The  Third  Congress  was  called  the  "Congress  of  La  Plata,"  since 
it  embraced  the  three  Republics  of  Paraguay,  Uruguay  and  Argentina. 
All  the  sessions  of  the  Congress  were  held  in  the  hall  of  the  St.  Andrew's 
Scotch  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  heart  of  the  city."*^  The  Church 
of  St.  Andrews  has  for  half  a  century  stood  for  pure  religion  and 
undefiled,  in  a  city  given  over  largely  to  materialism.  For  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century  the  pastor,  the   Rev.  J.  W.  Fleming,  D.  D., 


43 


has  been  a  leader  in  all  social,  philanthropic,  educational  and  religious 
movements  in  the  city.  The  place  of  meeting  was  well  chosen,  for 
St.  Andrew's  Church  in  its  spirit  and  scope  well  typified  the  aims 
and  purposes  of  the  Congress.  In  addition  to  the  numerous  activities 
carried  on  in  the  mother  church,  this  organization  holds  various 
suburban  services  at  Belgrano,  Campana,  Hurlingham,  Quilmes, 
San  Fernando,  Tallares,  Temperley,  Chaschomus  and  other  centers. 
It  is  a  bee-hive  of  Christian  activity.  The  pastor  of  this  church, 
the  representatives  from  the  Anglican  Church,  and  from  practically  all 
other  religious  organizations,  including  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.,  gave  a  hearty  welcome  and  cordially  supported  the 
Congress  in  all  of  its  deliberations.  A  protest  had  been  sent  to  the 
Committee  on  Co-operation  of  the  Panama  Congress  from  a  number 
of  Christian  workers  in  Argentina,  but  it  was  based  on  a  misunder- 
standing. Many  of  the  signers  of  this  protest  attended  the  Buenos 
Aires  Congress.  The  numbers  present,  the  keen  interest  taken  in 
the  discussion,  the  frank  and  candid  expression  of  opinion,  and  the 
Christian  spirit  pervading  these  sessions  of  the  Congress,  were  most 
remarkable.  The  findings  of  the  Congress  give  an  idea  of  the  great 
problems  involved  in  the  discussions  during  the  four  momentous 
days.     The  Congress  declared: — 

"That  the  three  Republics  included  in  this  Congress  form  one  of 
the  most  important  sections  of  Latin  America;  that  within  their 
immense  territory  there  is  a  population  of  more  than  ten  millions; 
that  this  population  is  destined  to  be,  if  it  is  not  already  so,  more 
homogeneous  as  regards  race,  language  and  customs  than  that  of  any 
other  section  of  equal  extent  in  Latin  America.  That  the  immense 
natural  resources  of  the  three  Republics  are  such  as  to  insure  for  this 
section  of  South  America  a  position  of  wide  influence  in  the  molding 
of  the  future  history  of  all  Latin  America,  and  even  in  the  directing 
of  movements  of  world  thought  and  action." 

These  are  words  of  truth  and  soberness,  which  were  impressed 
upon  the  deputation  the  more  they  saw  of  this  leading  city  of  Argentina 
and  of  the  other  Republics  included  in  the  Congress. 

Argentina  alone  is  today  the  largest  exporter  of  grain,  of  cattle 
and,  with  the  exception  of  Australia,  of  wool,  of  any  nation  in  the 
world,  and  this  is  only  a  slight  indication  of  the  vast  possibilities  of 
the  material  development  of  this  great  section  of  Latin  America. 

There  was  hardly  an  hour  in  the  Congress  that  was  not  full  of 
interest. 

The  afternoon  in  which  the  work  among  the  Chaco  Indians  was 
presented  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten.  These  Indians  in  Paraguay 
have  been  almost  totally  neglected  save  by  one  small  missionary 
society.     Readers  of  "An  Unknown  People  in  an  Unknown  Land, 


45 


or  "'A  Church  in  the  Wilds,"  by  W.  B.  Grubb,  are  not  unfamiliar 
with  the  splendid  work  carried  on  by  this  South  American  Mis- 
sionary Society  among  these  wild  Indian  tribes  in  Paraguay.  Possibly 
no  one  class  in  all  Latin  America  have  been  more  neglected  than 
these  Indians  who  represent  the  very  lowest  stages  of  civilization, 
yet  who  are  intensely  human.  When  the  missionary  became  irritable 
because  of  mosquitoes,  they  asked  him  if  he  knew  the  language  of  the 
mosquito.  'Because  if  you  do,"  they  said,  "it  would  be  wise  to  speak 
harsh  words  to  them."  In  other  words,  the  Indian  was  following 
the  wise  maxim,  "What  cannot  be  cured,  must  be  endured." 

"We  admitted  our  first  two  converts  in  i88q,"  writes  Mr.  Grubb, 
"and  we  have  impressed  upon  the  Christians  that  it  is  their  duty 
and  must  be  their  ambition  to  administer,  so  far  as  possible,  their 
own  Church,  which  they  do  even  now  to  some  extent."  The  Congress 
was  deeply  moved  at  the  presentation  of  the  work,  and  voted  that 
"such  work  is  in  a  very  special  sense  distinctly  missionary  since  it 
reaches  a  pagan  population  which  is  a  stranger  to  the  claims  of  the 
Gospel,  and  merits,  and  should  receive,  the  fullest  sympathy  and 
help." 

The  whole  question  of  the  Indian  work  in  the  various  countries  in 
which  the  Regional  Congresses  were  held  was  fully  discussed.  The 
Christian  Church  has  hardly  touched  this  vast,  unevangelized,  pagan 
population,  which  is  to  be  found  in  every  Republic  of  Latin  America. 

One  of  the  interesting  communications  sent  to  the  Congress  was 
from  a  group  of  Armenians  who  had  been  driven  from  their  home  by 
persecution  by  the  war,  and  plead  in  language  most  pathetic  that 
the  Congress  should  aid  them  in  securing  a  preacher  from  their  own 
people.     The  Congress  found: — ■ 

"That  there  is  in  some  of  the  larger  centers  of  these  Republics  a 
rapidly  increasing  number  of  representatives  of  the  ancient  Armenian 
faith.  These  people  are  now  passing  through  a  crisis  such  as  few 
peoples  of  the  earth  have  known  and  endured,  yet  as  a  proof  that 
even  in  the  dark  hour  of  their  trial  they  have  not  forgotten  the  faith 
of  their  fathers,  they  are  asking  that  an  Evangelical  worker  be  set 
apart  for  their  special  needs." 

The  Congress  took  some  special  steps  toward  securing  this  Evan- 
gelical worker. 

By  special  invitation,  a  number  of  members  of  the  Congress  were 
permitted  to  inspect  the  magnificent  work  of  the  philanthropic 
Schools  and  Institutes  carried  on  by  Rev.  William  C.  Morris.  This 
noble  man  has  under  his  immediate  supervision  some  six  thousand 
boys  and  girls,  the  neglected  children  of  the  great  city  of  Buenos 
Aires,  all  of  whom  are  receiving  the  very  best  of  Christian  instruction 
and  training.     Abundant  opportunity  was  given  to  members  of  the 


46 


34 — Children  in  Philanthropic  School  cf  Rev.  S.  C.  Morris,  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina 


35 — Sunday  School  in  connection  with  the  Philanthropic  School,  Buenos   Aires, 

Argentina 


47 


Congress  to  address  the  pupils  of  these  schools  of  Mr.  Morris.  It 
was  a  rare  sight  to  see  two  thousand  children  gathered  from  the 
slums  of  the  city,  clean,  bright,  happy,  singing  Christian  hymns, 
and  being  instructed  in  all  that  makes  for  Christian  citizenship.  ^*  ^'^ 

In  some  respects  the  Evangelical  forces  in  Argentina  and  the  other 
sections  seem  entirely  inadequate  to  the  vast  work  to  be  done,  but 
the  zeal,  consecration  and  uselfish  service  shown,  was  most  heartening 
and  bodes  well  for  the  future.  Much  attention  was  shown  the 
members  of  the  Congress.  An  opportunity  was  given  to  see  the 
fine  printing  plant  of  the  leading  paper  of  Latin  America.  A  dis- 
tinguished senator  invited  members  of  the  deputation  to  visit  the 
public  schools  of  Buenos  Aires,  and  the  Superintendent  of  Instruction 
accompanied  this  party  and  explained  the  splendid  system  of  instruction. 

The  most  picturesque  delegates  at  the  Congress  were  those  who 
came  from  the  Waldensian  Church  in  Uruguay.  The  Nestor  of  the 
Waldensian  preachers.  Rev.  Daniel  Armand  Ugon,  with  a  group  of 
his  fellow-workers  were  in  attendance  at  every  session,  and  took 
part  in  the  discussion,  always  with  profit,  and  with  a  courtesy  and 
Christian  grace  most  praiseworthy.  The  Congress  was  so  impressed 
with  the  work  of  these  our  fellow-Christians,  that  a  resolution  was 
adopted  to  the  effect  that  "the  Waldensians  of  Uruguay  merited 
the  very  special  sympathy  and  help  of  all  bodies  of  Christian  workers. 
The  Congress  suggests  the  possibility  of  recruiting  from  this  body 
of  consecrated  Christian  men  and  women,  whose  ancestors  have  been 
tried  in  the  fires  of  persecutions  for  seven  centuries,  young  men  and 
women  who  would  be  able  to  render  valuable  assistance  in  the  Evan- 
gelical work  of  this  particular  section  of  Latin  America,  as  pastors 
and  in  other  forms  of  Christian  activity  among  the  large  Italian 
population." 

At  the  invitation  of  the  Waldensian  pastors  a  group  of  delegates, 
among  them  a  Presbyterian  missionary  and  Board  Secretary,  were 
invited,  at  the  close  of  the  Congress,  to  visit  the  work  of  the  Wal- 
densians in  Uruguay.  ■'*'  ^' 

Two  services  were  held  on  Sunday  afternoon  at  Riachuelo  and  at 
Tarariras,  in  the  heart  of  the  open  country.  The  congregation  crowded 
the  buildings  and  listened  intently  to  the  messages  delivered.  They 
had  come  from  miles  around.  They  were  a  fine  type  of  people  and 
it  was  an  inspiration  to  look  into  their  faces  and  summon  them,  in 
view  of  their  glorious  history  and  of  the  present  opportunity,  to 
respond  to  South  America's  need  for  Christian  leadership.  Sunday 
evening  we  were  entertained  in  the  home  of  the  village  wheelwright, 
and  while  none  of  us  could  speak  his  language,  we  could  understand 
and  appreciate  the  genuineness  of  the  hospitality  offered  Christian 
brethren  from  afar.  ^-  *"  *" 


48 


44 — Pastor  U  g  o  n 
and  one  of  his 
comm  unicant 
classes  of  young 
people 


r 

.«T,,>. 

/  . 

\ 

"^t*! 

fcni^^ 

'■ 

r 

1  1 

I^^Hl 

M^ 

■ 

*r' 

11 

Bi 

Suf^-i 

^ 

^ 

L  *. 

,Jn 

ff 

wk 

1 

n 

*'^fc^''*^^4^rfK  ^ 

^    .^6*.     » 

36 — A  Waldensian 
of  the  old  school, 
Mrs.  Margarita 
G.  Tolman,  in 
front  of  her  home , 
Colonia  Valden- 
sia,  LVuguav 


37 — A  Waldensian 
woman  with  her 
spinning  wheel, 
Mrs.  Tolman 


49 


38 — Waldensi  an 
Church  at  Ria- 
chuelo,   Uruguay 


39 —  Pastor  Julius 
Tron  and  his  ses- 
sion, Waldensian 
Church,  Tarari- 
ras,  Urugua\' 


'••  1 

v' 

lH 

■ 

^> 

,■*'«/" 

9^ 

w  ■»•? 

^^^^H 

K  '*»»^l 

1 

^^HMPi^j^ 

^P 

^1 

H 

*    *. 

--'-/:-•. 

1^ 

■ 

■ 

'►"t 

40  —  Congregation 
outside  the  Wal- 
densian Church, 
Tarariras,  Uru- 
guay 


50 


Monday  morning  we  drove  over  the  pampa  or  plain  to  Artilleras, 
where  at  9:30  we  held  a  meeting  for  the  country  folk  of  that  district. 
We  were  surprised  to  find  about  fifty  people  gathered  at  that  early 
hour  on  Monday  morning  for  a  religious  meeting. 

From  Artilleras  we  drove  to  Cosmopolita,  some  miles  farther  on, 
where  we  were  entertained  at  the  midday  meal  by  Pastor  Peter 
Bournous.  His  home  was  simple  and  attractive  in  the  midst  of 
beautiful  flowers  and  near  by  was  the  commodious  church  which 
was  packed  with  men,  women  and  children  for  a  service  at  3  p.  m.  ■"  "*" 

The  custom  among  the  Waldensians  is  for  the  men  to  occupy  one 
side  of  the  church  and  the  women  and  children  the  other,  as  is  done 
by  the  Quakers.  *^ 

Leaving  Cosmopolita,  we  went  the  same  evening  to  the  center 
of  the  Waldensian  settlement,  Valdensia  Colonia,  where  Pastor  D. 
A.  Ugon  and  his  wife  *■'  have  been  laboring  for  thirty-nine  years.  He 
has  the  appearance  of  a  patriarch,  with  his  long  white  hair.  He  is 
vigorous  both  in  body  and  in  mind,  and  is  full  of  cheer  and  good  will, 
his  face  glowing  and  his  eyes  snapping  as  he  talks.  He  and  his 
family  were  most  genial  hosts.  In  addition  to  ministering  in  the 
church  which  adjoins  the  manse,  Pastor  Ugon  and  his  able  daughters 
and  other  assistants  are  conducting  a  splendid  school.  He  has  two 
catechetical  classes  of  young  people  in  training  for  church  member- 
ship. One  of  these  we  were  permitted  to  attend  and  address,  as 
it  met  the  day  we  were  there.  We  were  impressed  with  the  potential 
of  these  young  people.  ""^ 

In  the  afternoon  the  large  church  was  filled  with  a  most  intelligent 
audience  who  listened  intently.  We  were  impressed  with  the  at- 
tendance of  so  many  men  at  all  of  the  services  held  among  the  Walden- 
sians. They  are  a  sturdy  people  with  a  noble  ancestry.  That  they 
may  be  worthy  sons  and  daughters  of  their  heritage  is  our  prayer, 
and  that  God  would  quicken  them  to  a  sense  of  responsibility  for 
propagating  in  Uruguay  and  elsewhere  Evangelical  Christianity. 

An  informal  service  was  held  in  the  evening  for  those  interested 
in  Sunday  School  work.  After  a  few  hours  rest,  we  left  at  3  a.  m. 
by  automobile  to  make  connection  with  the  train  which  would  bring 
us  to  Montevideo  that  morning.  Thus  was  concluded  a  trip  of 
three  days,  which  will  ever  linger  in  our  minds  with  tender 
memories. 

The  members  of  the  deputation  in  Argentina,  as  well  as  at  Lima 
and  Santiago,  during  their  stay,  did  very  effective  service  in  the 
various  churches  and  missions.  A  total  of  hundreds  of  addresses 
were  delivered  by  members  of  the  deputation  during  these  various 
Congresses,  and  the  beneficial  effect  will,  we  are  confident,  be  felt 
for  a   long  time  to  come. 

51 


41 — Pastor  Pedro  Boiinous  in  Ironi:  ot   his  home,  Cosmopolita,   L'ruguay 


lar 


42  —Pastor  tsounous  and  his  session,  Cosmopolita,  Uruguay 


43 — Audience  at  Monday  afternoon  service  in  Waldensian  Ch.,  Cosmopolita,  Uruguay 


52 


No  one  who  has  not  visited  a  city  like  Buenos  Aires,  so  prosperous, 
so  wholly  given  up  to  material  things,  so  indifferent  to  religious  ideas, 
can  form  any  adequate  conception  of  the  difficulties  of  carrying  on 
Christian  work  in  Latin  America  and  of  the  need  of  Evangelical 
Christianity. 


53 


Waldensian 
Church  at  Cos- 
mopolita,  Uru- 
guay 


Children  out- 
side the  Walden- 
sian Church  after 
service  at  Cos- 
mopolita,  Uru- 
guay. 


45 — The  pastor, 
Daniel  A.  Ugon 
and  his  wife,  in 
front  of  their 
home,  Colonia, 
Valdensia,  Uru- 
guay 


54 


BUENOS  AIRES  TO  RIO  DE  JANEIRO 

^HE  Fourth  Regional  Congress  was  held  in  the  City  of 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil.'**' 

It  is  a  five-day  trip  by  steamer,  and  as  one  sails 
away  through  the  La  Plata,  a  great  estuary  formed 
by  the  junction  of  the  two  mighty  rivers,  Parana 
jy  and  Uruguay,  and  realizes  that  they  drain  an  area 
of  800,000  square  miles,  more  than  eighty  per  cent,  of  that  drained 
by  the  Mississippi,  he  recognizes  the  future  possibilities  of  these  great 
Republics,  which  united  in  the  Third  Regional  Congress.  But  the 
Fourth  Congress  embraced  a  still  larger  territory,  and  presented 
problems  requiring  the  highest  Christian  statesmanship  to  solve.  The 
Congress  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  its  findings  stated  that  "The  Republic 
of  Brazil  forms  the  most  important  geographical  entity  of  Latin 
America.  Within  its  immense  territory  there  is  a  population  estimated 
at  twenty-two  millions.  This  population  is  welded  together  by  seem- 
ingly indissoluble  ties  of  language,  political  organizations  and  racial 
unity.  The  Immense  natural  resources  of  Brazil  are  such  as  insure  for 
this  section  of  South  America  a  position  of  wide  influence  in  the  mould- 
ing of  the  future  history  of  all  Latin  America."  In  one  report  it  was 
stated  that  three-twelfths  of  the  population  is  white,  four-twelfths 
entirely  black,  five-twelfths  mixed  white  and  black.  Our  observation 
in  a  month  spent  travelling  through  Southern  Brazil  would  lead  us 
to  believe  that  the  only  mistake  in  these  figures  would  be  that  the 
white  population  had  been  estimated  at  too  high  a  figure.  The 
problems  arising  out  of  such  a  mixture  of  races  can  be  better  conceived 
than  described. 

In  the  report  on  "Occupation"  presented  at  the  Rio  Congress  it 
was  stated: — "The  total  number  of  believers  in  Brazil,  of  all  denom- 
inations, will  hardly  be  more  than  50,000,  not  counting  the  Lutheran 
colonies,  and  what  influence  can  that  have  on  a  population  of  twenty- 
two  million?  It  is  like  a  drop  of  milk  in  a  barrel  of  ink.  There  is 
no  specific  work  among  any  special  class,  no  work  being  organized 
for  the  regeneration  of  the  military  class,  nor  the  agricultural  classes, 
nor  even  among  the  students,  for  what  is  being  done  in  the  schools 
and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  very  little  influence  on  the  enormous  mass  of 
people  in  general." 


56 


The  most  refreshing  feature  of  the  Fourth  Regional  Congress  was 
the  candor  and  honesty  with  which  the  men  on  the  field  faced  their 
problems,  stated  their  difficulties  and  boldly  and  with  great  faith 
thanked  God  and  took  courage  as  they  closed  the  sessions  of  the 
Congress  and  went  back  to  their  fields  of  labor. 

There  was  no  lack  of  enthusiasm  or  interest  in  the  Congress.  The 
National  Church  was  well  represented.  The  place  of  meeting  was 
well  chosen.  It  was  the  great  Presbyterian  Church  in  Rua  Silva 
Jardim.  This  church  marks  a  milestone  in  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom 
in  Brazil.  It  is  a  large,  self-supporting,  self-governing,  self-propagating 
body  of  Christians.  No  less  than  ten  centers  of  work,  half  of  them 
organized  churches,  "the  daughters,"  as  the  pastor  lovingly  called 
them,  of  the  Church,  have  been  established  in  various  sections  of 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  The  Church  has  the  mission  spirit,  and  any  church 
possessing  this  must  move  forward.  It  is  an  example  of  what  may 
be  looked  for  all  over  Brazil.  At  the  evening  service  of  the  first 
day  the  Congress  opened,  the  church  was  crowded  with  a  body  of 
worshippers  who  listened  with  evident  deep  interest  to  the  story  of 
Panama  as  told  by  the  various  members  of  the  deputation.  At 
each  evening  session  the  church  was  always  crowded  with  Evan- 
gelicals. Moreover,  the  Brazilian  Church  seems  to  be  made  up 
of  a  body  of  strong,  virile,  aggressive  men  and  women  with  vision. 
The  Brazilian  Christian  has  no  false  notion  as  to  who  is  to  evangelize 
Brazil.  In  the  report  on  "Occupation"  presented  to  the  Congress 
is  this  statement : — 

"The  greatest  mistake  of  the  missionaries  has  been  and  is  to  assume 
the  responsibility  of  any  national  work.  We  are  of  the  opinion, 
after  twenty-six  years  of  missionary  experience,  that  no  missionary 
ought  at  any  time  to  assume  any  place  of  responsibility  in  the  evan- 
gelical work.  The  first  church  organized  should  have  been  handed 
over  immediately  to  the  direction  of  the  congregation,  and  the  mis- 
sionary as  simply  a  member,  to  work  and  help  the  congregation  to 
carry  out  this  responsibility." 

This,  we  believe,  is  the  sentiment  of  the  entire  Brazilian  Church. 
It  has  caught  the  national  spirit,  the  spirit  of  independence.  Brazil 
for  Brazilians,  Chile  for  Chilians,  Latin  America  for  Latin  Americans! 
One  of  the  reasons  why  the  people  from  the  United  States  are  looked 
upon  with  more  or  less  suspicion  is  the  fear  that  Uncle  Sam  covets 
territory  or  authority  in  Latin  America.  We  did  all  in  our  power  to 
assure  our  brethren  in  Brazil  that  this  was  not  so.  It  will  take  many 
years  to  remove  this  prejudice  based  on  some  historical  facts,  such 
as  the  occupation  of  Panama,  not  quickly  forgotten  by  loyal  Latin 
Americans.  The  most  hopeful  sign  in  Brazil  was  the  splendid  charac- 
ter of  the  men  in  the  Brazilian  ministry,  and  the  representative  men 


57 


who,  if  not  openly  uniting  w  ith  the  Evangelical  Church,  are  standing 
with  the  Evangelicals.  One  of  the  notable  features  of  the  Congress 
was  an  address  one  afternoon  by  Dr.  Jose  Carlos  Rodrigues.  He 
was  for  many  years  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading 
papers  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  His  speech  at  the  Congress  was  a  plea  for 
the  reading  and  study  of  the  word  of  God  as  the  only  hope  of  Brazil. 
Senor  Rodrigues  represents  probably  the  most  influential  newspaper 
in  Brazil.  His  library  is  considered  the  best  private  library  in  all 
the  Republic.  He  is  a  man  of  wide  learning  and  deep  research; 
a  man  of  force,  a  scholar,  an  author,  an  editor,  and  for  years  he  has 
stood  as  the  champion  of  all  good  things.  He  came  of  his  own  accord 
to  the  Congress.  He  was  elected  a  Corresponding  member,  and 
given  the  privileges  of  the  floor.  He  spoke  for  a  half  hour  w  ith  a  force, 
a  beauty,  a  depth  of  spiritual  intuition  of  the  word  of  God  that  would 
have  done  credit  to  the  most  intellectual  clergymen  in  our  own  land, 
and  the  next  day  he  invited  a  group  of  representative  men  of  the 
deputation  to  visit  his  home,  which  gave  every  evidence  of  being  a 
refined,  cultured.  Christian  home. 

An  impressive  address  was  made  at  one  of  the  evening  sessions  of 
the  Congress  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Silvado,  a  devout,  Christian  man,  who 
has  been  a  pioneer  in  the  work  of  reaching  deaf  mutes.  It  was 
reserved  for  a  Christian  man  to  begin  work  for  this  neglected  class  in 
Brazil.  The  Gospel  in  Brazil,  as  in  China,  Korea,  India,  the  world 
over,  has  been  the  pioneer  in  humanitarian  and  philanthropic  efforts 
for  the  relief  of  suffering  mankind.  It  was  also  natural  that  a  few 
men  most  interested  in  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Animals  should  have  sent  an  appeal  to  the  Congress  asking  sympathy 
and  help.  The  great  outside  world  is  understanding  that  the  Evan- 
gelical propaganda  has  a  very  wide  outreach. 

Among  the  delegates  to  the  Congress  was  Dr.  Joaquin  N.  Paranagua, 
a  practicing  physician,  formerly  a  governor  of  one  of  the  States  of 
Brazil,  and  also  a  deputy  representing  his  State  in  the  Brazilian 
Congress.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  Rio  Congress.  He  is  a 
member  of  one  of  the  Evangelical  churches  and  exerts  a  wide  in- 
fluence for  good  in  his  community  and  the  nation. 

The  task  before  the  Brazilian  Church  is  surely  a  great  one,  and  the 
need  of  co-operation  is  everywhere  manifest.  The  Fourth  Regional 
Congress,  we  believe,  set  in  operation  forces  which  will  gradually 
unite  the  various  Evangelical  bodies  in  their  Christian  activities, 
and  materially  advance  the  Kingdom  in  the  great  Republic  of  Brazil, 


58 


RIO  DE  JANEIRO  TO  CURITYBA, 
PARANA 


HE  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which  the  Rio  de  Janeiro 
J  Congress  closed  most  of    the  deputation  sailed  for 
"  New  York.     A  small  group  of   Presbyterians,  how- 
ever,  remained  in  order  to  visit   the  work  carried 
on  by  the  Presbyterian  Board   of  Foreign  Missions 
in  Southern  Brazil.^' 

SAO   PAULO 

It  takes  but  a  single  night  to  reach  Sao  Paulo,  a  city  of  half  a 
million,  and  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo,  which  has  two  and 
a  half  million  inhabitants.  The  State  of  Sao  Paulo  is  the  center  of 
the  coffee  trade  in  Brazil  and  produces  a  quarter  of  the  worlds  coffee 
supply.     The  city  of  Sao  Paulo  is  the   home  of  Mackenzie  College.** 

From  Panama  to  Curityba  we  saw  no  such  group  of  buildings,  no 
such  equipment,  as  those  at  Mackenzie.  With  few  exceptions  they 
were  well  planned,  well  built,  well  lighted,  well  adapted  to  college 
purposes.  A  new  dormitory  is  now  in  the  process  of  erection.  We 
were  assured  it  would  be  filled  with  students  as  soon  as  it  is  ready 
for  occupation.  The  college  equipment,  while  not  altogether  adequate^ 
was  the  best  we  saw  in  any  Latin  American  institution.  Good  desks, 
excellent  blackboards,  well  equipped  chemical  and  physical  labora- 
tories, most  modern  instruments  in  physics,  chemistry  and  engineering, 
a  first-class,  up-to-date  modern  college  in  the  heart  of  Brazil.  The 
group  of  four  hundred  or  more  students  we  saw  in  morning  chapel 
seemed  a  more  virile  group  of  students  than  those  we  had  seen  at 
Montevideo,  Buenos  Aires  or  Santiago.  This  impression  was  not 
dissipated  as  we  met  these  students  in  their  rooms  or  at  a  reception 
given  by  them  one  evening  at  the  English  Club.  The  game  of  foot- 
ball between  two  teams  of  the  college,  gotten  up  in  our  honor,  was 
conducted  in  splendid  style,  the  hoys  showing  a  knowledge  of  the 
fine  points  of  the  game,  doing  excellent  teamwork,  andwithal  exhibiting 
an  enthusiasm  and  a  spirit  not  often  seen  in  Brazil.  The  religious 
interest  in  the  college  has  not  been  sufficiently  accentuated.  There 
are  few,  if  any,  students  for  the  ministry,  and  the  religious  life  did 


59 


47 — Members  of  South  Brazil  Mission,  iqi6 


«». 

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48 — Athletic  field,  Mackenzie  College,  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil 
60 


not  seem  to  us  to  be  vigorous.  Those  in  charge  of  the  school  recognize 
the  situation,  and  are  making  strenuous  endeavors  to  remedy  it. 
They  were  men  of  great  vision  who  planned  Mackenzie.  It  is  a 
noble  institution.  It  stands  for  great  things  in  the  intellectual  world. 
Everywhere  we  went  we  heard  words  of  commendation  for  Mac- 
kenzie. The  opportunities  for  Christian  service  there,  it  seems  to 
us,  are  larger  than  in  any  single  institution  in  all  Latin  America. 
The  elementary  department  of  the  institution,  known  as  the  "American 
School,"  is  located  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  in  a  neighborhood 
that  is  most  unsuitable  from  a  moral  point  of  view.  It  is  proposed 
to  transfer  the  school  to  the  college  campus.  There  is  room  sufficient 
for  this,  and  it  would  seem  wise  to  make  the  transfer.  We  saw  the 
boys  and  girls,  hundreds  of  them,  at  their  studies,  and  were  impressed 
with  the  possibilities  of  Christian  service  in  such  an  institution. 
Our  stay,  however,  was  too  limited  to  examine  the  school  in  detail. 

Sao  Paulo  is  a  great  industrial  center.  It  has  many  educational 
institutions,  boulevards  and  beautiful  homes.  It  is  a  city  of  rare 
beauty,  with  fine  streets  and  parks.  Moral  conditions,  however,  are 
far  from  satisfactory.  A  strong  Christian  sentiment  is  needed  to 
remove  immoral  conditions  that  would  not  be  tolerated  in  any  city 
in  North  America. 

The    Independent    Presbyterian    Church,    and    the    Presbyterian 

Church  of  Brazil,  are  strong  organizations  manned  by  National  Pastors 

of  ability  and  consecration.     The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.  are 

rendering  valuable  assistance  to  the  needs  of  Evangelical  Christianity. 

What  is  needed  is  a  unification  of  all  the  forces  against  the  powers  of 

evil. 

CAMPINAS  "  '"  '' 

Campinas  is  a  distance  of  only  two  hours'  ride  by  rail  from  Sao  Paulo. 

Here  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  of  Brazil  finds  its  home. 
This  Seminary  is  a  combination  of  Presbyterians  North  and  South, 
and  of  the  Brazilian  Presbyterian  Church.  The  hasty  traveller 
could  see  no  reason  why  other  denominations  should  not  combine 
with  this  Institution  to  form  one  strong  seminary  for  this  section 
of  Latin  America.  The  Baptists  have  a  seminary  at  Rio  de  Janeiro 
and  also  the  Methodists.  It  would  be  a  great  step  forward  if  all 
the  denominations  could  unite  in  one  institution  of  sacred  learning. 

The  seminary  at  Campinas  is  located  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  on 
a  beautiful  campus.  The  property  is  owned  by  the  Brazilian  Church. 
When  purchased  some  years  ago,  one  of  the  professors,  with  true 
foresight,  planted  numerous  trees,  which  now  adorn  the  campus  and 
furnish  many  a  quiet  nook  for  study  and  meditation.  The  buildings, 
while  plain,  are  well  adapted  to  house  the  students  and  there  is  ample 
accommodation  for  class  rooms.     New  equipment  is  needed  in  the 


61 


49 — Palms  in  public 
square,  Campi- 
nas, Brazil 


50 — Theological 
Seminary,  Camp- 
inas, Brazil 


51 — Rev.  Thomas 
J.  Porter,  D.D., 
in  front  of  coffee 
trees,  Campinas, 
Brazil 


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line  of  desks  and  furniture,  some  of  which  is  very  old  and  ill  adapted 
to  the  uses  of  the  seminary.     We  had  an  evening  meeting  at  the 
seminary  where  the  students  and  their  friends  filled  the  assembly 
room.     We  were  impressed  with  the  character  of  the  students.     Each 
one   is  recommended  by  his  Presbytery  and  the  standard   is  kept 
high.     At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  a  resolution  was  in- 
troduced asking  that  the  members  of  the  present  class  should  be 
given  their  diplomas  without  pursuing  the  full  course.      The  pro- 
fessors of  the  seminary  declared  on  the  floor  of  the  Presbytery  that 
while  they  would  obey  the  Presbytery  and  sign  the  diplomas  as  sug- 
gested, they  would  at  once  resign  if  the  Assembly  demanded  this 
short-cut  operation  of  railroading  men  into  the  ministry.     A  group 
of  strong  men  compose  the  seminary  faculty  and  they  believe  in 
quality  and  high  standards.     Exact  records  are  kept  of  the  standing 
of  the  students,  examinations  are  severe,  and  the  whole  tone  of  the 
seminary  is  of  a  high  order.     The  library  of  4,000  volumes  is  well 
housed  and  marks  a  good  beginning.     It  was  interesting  to  see  a 
volume  of  sermons  of  the  Rev.  A.  G.  Simonton,  who  went  to  Brazil 
in  185Q  and  spent  eight  years  there  in  devoted  service.     The  sale  of 
one  of  his  published  volumes  of  sermons  furnished  the  money  for 
the  purchase  of  the  books  that  formed  the  basis  of  the  library.     Mr. 
Simonton  gave  his  best  for  Brazil  and  his  memory  and  work  still 
abide.     Campinas  is  in  many  respects  an  ideal  place  for  a  seminary. 
It  has  many  attractive  features.      "Gomez  Park,"    with  its  row  of 
ninety-seven  noble  royal  palms,  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  Brazil  s 
great  composer,  is  worth  going  a  long  distance  to  see.     There  is  a 
literary  and  scholastic  air  about  Campinas  very  helpful  to  the  student. 
The  greatest  need  of  the  Brazilian  churches  at  the  present  moment 
is  for  trained  leaders.     The  Union  Seminary  is  manned  by  men  of 
learning  and  of  vision.     They  are  building  for  the  future.     When  I 
asked,  "Do  you  not  wish  more  students?  "  the  reply  of  one  of  the  most 
learned  of  the  professors   was,  "We  believe  that  we  should  graduate 
students  only  as  fast  as  there  are  self-supporting  churches  ready 
to  receive  them  as  pastors.     Brazil  needs  an  independent,  aggressive 
ministry  who  will  lead  the  people  to  the  larger  things  of  the  Kingdom. 
It  is  because  in  the  Brazilian  Church  there  are  men  who  have  these 
high  ideals  that  we  have  hope  for  the  future  of  the  Gospel  in  the 

Republic. 

CASTRO 

South  of  the  city  and  state  of  Sao  Paulo  is  the  large  state  of  Parana. 

Our  first  stop  in  Parana  was  at  Castro,  some  250  miles  southwest  of 
the  city  of  Sao  Paulo.  This  was  opened  as  a  mission  station  in  iSqj- 
A  large  group  of  dusky  worshippers  greeted  us  on  the  evening  that  we 
held  service  in  the  church  at  Castro.     The  church  is  under  the  charge 

63 


of  a  missionary  and  is  the  center  for  various  Christian  activities 
for  the  entire  region.  It  is  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  a  na- 
tional pastor  shall  be  in  full  charge.  This  is  the  ideal  set  forth  in  all 
the  Regional  Congresses,  and  is  the  only  hope  of  permanent  evangel- 
ization for  any  land.  But  it  was  not  the  church  at  Castro  that 
awakened  our  deepest  attention.  Six  years  ago  Secretary  Robert  E. 
Speer  visited  the  Brazilian  Mission,  and  in  his  report  he  made  the 
following  statement : — 

"We  have  in  the  South  Brazil  Mission  no  boarding  schools  for  boys. 
Mr.  Landes  has  long  been  anxious  to  have  an  industrial  farm  school  in 
the  region  of  Mandury  to  teach  the  Brazilian  boys  and  young  men 
how  to  farm,  on  the  ground  that  we  cannot  have  self-supporting 
churches  until  we  have  self-supporting  men." 

The  dream  of  Mr.  Landes  has  been  realized  at  Castro. 

A  ride  of  two  miles  and  a  half  over  a  rough  country  road  from 
the  Railroad  Station  at  Castro,  brings  you  to  the  "Instituto  Christian© 
of  Practical  Arts."  It  is  well  named.  It  is  purely  and  simply  a 
Christian  School  and  it  is  eminently  practical.  Thus  far  only  boys 
and  girls  from  Christian  homes  have  been  admitted  to  this  school. 
It  is  planned  to  keep  it  distinctively  Christian.  Every  pupil  under- 
stands this  before  entering.  The  discipline  demands  it.  The  design 
is  to  train  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Christian  parents  in  all  that 
makes  a  useful  life,  to  furnish  candidates  for  the  ministry,  but  also 
for  business,  for  the  farm,  for  the  home.  The  number  of  pupils  in 
the  school  the  day  we  visited  it  was  twenty-three,  about  nineteen 
of  whom  were  boys.  In  the  distribution  of  the  Kennedy  Legacy, 
the  South  Brazilian  Mission  invested  $2,500  in  600  acres  of  land, 
with  twenty-five  head  of  cattle  thrown  in.  This  land  is  bounded  on 
three  sides  by  a  river  and  a  creek.  When  purchased,  in  iqi4,  it  was 
a  wild  bit  of  woodland,  dense  undergrowth  and  practically  no  clearing 
or  cultivated  area.  As  we  drove  up  to  the  school  we  were  profoundly 
impressed  with  the  practical  side  of  the  short-lived  existence  of  the 
"Instituto  Christian©  of  Practical  Arts."  On  the  west  of  the  highway  as 
we  approached  the  farm  was  a  very  large  field  of  corn  and  of  manioc. 
Later  in  the  day  we  travelled  over  this  large  area  and  saw  where  great 
trees  had  been  felled  and  huge  roots  dug  out  or  burned  out,  where  now 
corn  twelve  and  fourteen  feet  high  was  growing.  At  another  patch 
we  saw  oats  and  large  areas  of  manioc.  Numerous  melon  and  pumpkin 
vines  told  the  story  of  how  well  the  land  had  been  utilized.  As  we 
turned  from  the  road  and  entered  the  school  property  we  came  to 
a  fine  bit  of  cleared  land;  on  our  left  a  home-made  fence  enclosed  a 
vegetable  garden.  On  the  right  another  fence  encompassed  a  huge 
field  in  which  cattle  were  peacefully  grazing.  The  clearing  just 
ahead  showed  still  some  burning  stumps,  the  last  of  the  trees  to  be 


64 


taken  from  the  "campus."  The  "campus"  was  well  filled  with  buildings. 
Directly  in  front  is  a  two-story  brick  building;  to  the  left  a  wooden 
building  used  as  a  dormitory  for  students;  a  bathtub  made  of  brick 
and  cement  in  the  rear,  especially  interesting  to  us  because  of  its 
homemade  appearance.  Beyond  were  large  sheds  for  the  cattle. 
Immediately  back  of  the  center  building  was  a  large  wooden  building 
used  as  a  workshop  on  the  first  floor,  and  dormitory  for  the  students 
on  the  second.  A  number  of  other  buildings,  tool  houses,  houses  for 
storing  goods  were  on  the  other  side  of  the  campus.  All  these  build- 
ings were  erected  by  the  students.  The  chairs,  tables,  stairways, 
banisters,  beds,  Morris  chairs  and  most  everything  in  the  building 
were  made  by  the  students.  All  the  plastering  and  carpentry  work 
was  done  by  them.  They  are  taught  to  work  in  leather,  metals, 
and  wood,  are  taught  the  value  of  soils,  of  fertilizing,  and  all  that 
pertains  to  planting  and  harvesting  crops.  Each  student,  whether 
paying  full  tuition  or  not,  must  engage  in  manual  work  a  certain 
number  of  hours  a  day  as  well  as  study.  The  writer  of  these  lines 
arose  at  6:15  a.  m.  in  order  to  watch  a  group  of  students,  with  no 
overseer,  who  for  an  hour  worked  like  Trojans  to  remove  stumps 
from  the  ground.  Each  student,  after  a  certain  number  of  hours  of 
work,  receives  extra  pay  for  such  work  done.  The  girls  do  all  the 
housework,  as  the  boys  do  all  the  farm  work,  milking  the  cows  and  the 
like.  One  man  and  one  woman  are  the  only  hired  help  on  the  place. 
The  class  room  is  not  neglected,  as  all  the  morning  after  breakfast, 
at  7:15,  until  noon  is  spent  there.  We  saw  on  the  blackboard  in  the 
main  schoolroom,  the  morning  it  was  our  privilege  to  speak  to  these 
practical  students  in  the  Christian  Institute  at  Castro,  very  difficult 
examples  in  fractions. 

To  be  sure  a  critic  could  find  fault  with  the  plan  of  the  buildings. 
The  halls  were  too  narrow;  one  boy  had  missed  his  calculations  on 
a  banister — it  had  to  be  pieced,  and  there  were  other  defects,  but 
as  we  looked  over  these  broad  acres  and  realized  that  eighteen  or 
twenty  months  before  they  had  been  a  wild  wilderness,  and  that  all 
this  clearing  and  these  buildings  had  been  the  work  of  unskilled  boys 
while  they  were  attending  school,  we  thanked  God  for  the  Castro 
School.  It  is  a  Bible  School;  daily  prayers  are  held;  there  is  a  Chris- 
tian atmosphere  about  the  entire  place.  On  Sundays  there  is  a  two 
and  a  half  mile  walk  to  church,  some  going  twice  a  day,  but  the 
second  service  is  not  required. 

At  the  railway  station  the  morning  we  left  we  were  shown  many 
cords  of  wood  just  sold  to  the  Railway  Company,  all  of  which  came 
off  the  school  farm.  We  were  told  there  was  enough  timber  on 
the  farm  to  pay  for  the  full  amount  expended  in  purchasing  the 
600    acres. 


65 


The  river  is  near  enough  to  furnish  water  sufficient  for  ail  the  needs 
of  the  school,  present  and  prospective.  Anyone  acquainted  with 
the  loose  method  of  instruction  in  the  home,  farm  and  schools  of 
Brazil  can  realize  what  it  means  to  have  a  boy  sent  to  the  Castro 
School.  Each  boy  has  a  number.  When  he  takes  a  tool  out  of  the 
tool  house,  he  must  put  his  number  in  the  place  of  the  tool.  He  is 
responsible  for  that  tool  until  it  is  returned.  One  of  the  lads  is  in 
charge  of  the  tools  and  is  called  the  "Chief  of  Tools."  Discipline 
is  the  one  thing  that  the  Brazilian  boy  is  not  accustomed  to  in  his 
home.  The  school  requires  promptness,  order,  exactness,  obedience 
to  rule  and  purity  of  lip  and  life,  along  with  a  scientific  cultivation 
of  the  soil  in  a  land  where  the  agricultural  resources  have  hardly 
been  touched,  much  less  exhausted.  The  expenditure  for  the  Castro 
School  in  addition  to  the  $2,500  has  been  very  small.  Unless  all 
signs  fail  it  will  be  a  self-supporting  institution  in  the  near  future. 
A  Tuskegee  or  a  Hampton  for  Brazil.  It  bodes  w^ell  for  the  future 
of  the  mission  work.  It  should  receive  the  hearty  support  of  the 
Church  at  home.  Some  idea  of  the  eagerness  with  which  these 
lads  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  school  can  be  shown  by  the  fact  that 
the  severest  punishment  that  can  be  meted  to  a  student  is  to  say  to 
him,  "I  have  no  work  for  you  today.  You  must  go  to  your  room." 
To  be  taught  to  love  work  is  one  of  the  great  needs  of  the  Brazilian 
youth,  only  second  to  be  taught  morals  and  Christian  ethics. 

We  congratulate  the  missionary  who  for  years  dreamed  of  the 
Castro  School  and  we  felicitate  the  mission  on  the  success  already 
attained  and  bid  it  God-speed  in  its  work. 

PONTA  GROSSA 

A  short  ride  of  less  than  t\\  o  hours  from  Castro  brings  the  traveller 
to  Ponta  Grossa,'^-  a  city  of  15,000. 

The  chief  importance,  from  a  mission  point  of  view,  of  this  city  is 
that  it  is  a  center  from  which  the  missionary  can  readily  reach  groups 
of  Christians  scattered  through  the  great  State  of  Parana.  There 
are  three  railroads  centering  here,  and  a  fourth  one  running  to  the 
west  is  already  in  process  of  construction.  Then,  in  addition,  good 
roads  lead  to  villages  and  towns  throughout  Parana  from  Ponta 
Grossa.  Scattered  throughout  this  vast  State  are  little  groups 
of  believers.  One  of  the  many  duties  of  the  resident  missionary  at 
Ponta  Grossa  is  to  minister  to  these  groups  of  believers,  many  of 
which,  under  the  proper  fostering  care,  will  develop  into  organized 
churches.  The  work  is  not  large  at  Ponta  Grossa.  An  audience  of 
fifty  assembled  in  the  large  room  of  the  house  where  the  missionary 
and   his  familv   reside.     There   is  no  church  building.     The  station 


66 


Children  of  employees  on  coffee  haciendas,  Campinas,  Brazil 


52 — Brazilian  cart  and  five  yoke  of  oxen,  Ponta  Grossa,  Era: 

67 


was  opened  only  two  years  ago,  although  for  years  previous  it  con- 
tained the  nucleus  of  the  church.  There  was  a  fine  group  of  young 
men  in  the  audience  the  evening  it  was  our  privilege  to  hold  service. 
It  was  a  typical  Brazilian  audience,  white,  black,  Indian,  mixed, 
were  all  in  evidence.  The  mixture  of  Indian  and  especially  of  African 
blood  is  very  large.  One  has  to  get  accustomed  to  these  strange 
mixtures  of  races  that  meet  him  everywhere  in  Brazil. 

We  were  in  Ponta  Grossa  on  Easter  Monday.  On  the  Friday  even- 
ing preceding.  Good  Friday,  a  great  procession  marched  through  the 
streets  of  the  city.  It  stopped  in  front  of  the  Mission  House,  a  motley 
crowd  of  men,  women  and  children,  with  banners,  candles,  torches, 
brass  band,  and  a  huge  casket  supposed  to  contain  the  body  of  the 
dead  Christ.  In  the  window  of  the  house  opposite  the  mission  home 
was  the  image  of  some  saint  with  lighted  candles  illuminating  the 
scene.  The  crowd  knelt  on  the  dirty  street — and  the  streets  are 
very  dirty — sang,  and  offered  some  sort  of  worship  to  the  image  in 
the  window.  It  was  a  weird  scene  in  the  flickering  light  of  the  candles 
and  torches,  the  songs,  the  wild  shouts,  a  mingling  of  Christian  truth 
with  native  superstition,  and  that  in  Holy  Week  in  the  year  iqi6. 
Five  minutes"  walk  from  the  mission  home  is  the  Cathedral,  situated 
at  the  end  of  the  beautiful  square.  The  images  on  the  outside  of 
this  Cathedral  are  the  most  hideous  we  saw  in  Latin  America,  one 
under  which  was  the  legend  "Senhor  Bom  Jesus"  being  especially  atro- 
cious. 

There  is  no  other  Evangelical  church  located  at  Ponta  Grossa. 
A  good  school  is  greatly  needed.  Persecution  is  practically  unknown. 
There  seems  to  be  an  open  door  at  this  center. 

It  would  have  been  a  great  pleasure  to  have  journeyed  with  the 
missionary  on  one  of  his  itinerating  trips.  This  occupies  much  of 
the  time  of  the  Brazilian  missionary.  We  did  not  see  as  much  of 
this  work  as  we  desired,  but  we  saw  enough  in  Parana  to  give  our 
cordial  assent  to  the  following  statement  found  in  Albert  T.  Hale's 
interesting  volume,  "South  America": — 

"Anyone  who  has  followed  the  colporteur  on  his  bypath  journeys 
across  Brazil  knows  that  it  is  not  always  contempt  or  bigotry  which 
perpetuates  ignorance,  but  that  quite  as  often  the  native  never  had 
before  an  opportunity  to  find  out  truth  for  himself.  Anyone  who  has 
followed  the  daily  round  of  the  true  missionary  among  rich,  poor, 
cultured  or  unlettered,  aristocrat  or  peasant,  and  has  seen  the  eager- 
ness with  which  progressive  Christianity  is  received,  knows  that  the 
Brazilian  has  plenty  of  grace  in  him.  Our  church  envoys  are  teaching 
cleanliness  as  well  as  religion,  chastity  as  well  as  good  manners,  in- 
dustry as  well  as  genuflection,  physical  as  well  as  spiritual  uplifting; 
all  this  in  the  name  of  America.     One  of  the  most  powerful  agents 


68 


in  making  familiar  to  Brazil  the  ambitions  of  our  country  is  the 
American  Missionary,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  newer  education 
offered  to  Brazilians  comes  from  religious  sources.  " 

CURITYBA 

Curityba  was  the  extreme  southern  limit  of  our  journey  through 
Parana.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Parana,  a  well-built,  pro- 
gressive city  of  75,000  inhabitants.  Here,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
the  Presbyterian  Board  has  carried  on  one  of  its  most  efficient  edu- 
cational institutions,  known  as  the  "Eschola  Americana."  The 
school  has  always  lived  "in  its  own  hired  house."  The  present  build- 
ings occupied  by  the  school  have  for  many  years  been  its  home, 
but  they  are  old  and  need  much  repairing,  all  of  which,  according 
to  the  contract,  has  to  be  done  by  the  Board.  In  the  division  of  the 
Kennedy  Legacy  a  few  thousand  dollars  was  allowed  to  the  Curityba 
school.  A  fine  piece  of  property,  only  a  few  hundred  feet  beyond 
the  present  building,  on  the  same  street,  and  directly  opposite  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  was  purchased.  A  well-built  house  faces  the 
street,  and  the  large  lot  extends  through  to  the  next  block.  The 
house  is  already  occupied  by  the  boarding  pupils.  It  is  well  adapted 
for  its  purpose,  save  that  it  seems  very  small  and  will  soon  be  filled 
to  overflowing.  The  lot  is  deep  and  affords  ample  room  for  the 
erection  of  buildings  in  some  degree  adequate  to  the  growing  needs  of 
this  important  educational  work.  *■''  ^•* 

But  a  school  does  not  consist  in  buildings,  but  in  teachers  and 
pupils.  The  new  building  is  still  on  paper.  The  school  exists.  It  is 
a  potent  influence  in  Curityba  and  Parana  and  the  regions  beyond. 
The  photographs  present  the  pictures  of  the  two  noble  women  who 
have  been  instrumental  in  the  development  of  the  "Eschola  Amer- 
icana," Miss  Mary  P.  Dascomb  and  Miss  Elmira  Kuhl.  It  was  late  at 
night  when  we  arrived,  our  train  having  been  delayed  by  an  accident 
at  Castro,  but  Miss  Kuhl  and  Miss  Dascomb  greeted  us  heartily  at 
the  door  of  the  school  as  the  younger  teachers  had  greeted  us  at 
the  station.  Miss  Dascomb  has  been  forty-seven  years  in  service, 
Miss  Kuhl  forty-three  years.  Ere  these  lines  are  in  print  Miss 
Kuhl  will  have  reached  the  homeland.  The  increasing  infirmities  of 
years  warned  her  that  her  day  of  active  labor  was  over.  ^^  ^^ 

"It  would  be  a  great  pleasure  to  remain  and  see  the  school  housed 
in  its  new  building  for  which  I  have  so  long  labored  and  prayed. 
But  I  fear  I  might  become  a  burden  to  the  workers  here,  and,  there- 
fore, have  decided  it  is  best  for  me  to  return  to  the  homeland.  It 
has  been  a  great  privilege  to  see  the  school  develop.  We  have  never 
used  controversy — love  is  the  more  excellent  way,  and  we  followed 
St.  Paul  closely  in  the  government  of  the  school." 


69 


53 — Street  scene  in  Curityba,  Parana 


54 — Pine  trees,  Curityba,  Parana 

70 


55 — Miss  Elmira  Kuhl, 
Curityba,  Parana,  ap- 
pointed missionary  of 
the  Presbyterian  Board, 
1874 


56 — Miss  Mary  P.  Das- 
comb,Curityba,  Parana, 
appointed  missionary  of 
the  Presbyterian  Board, 


71 


These  words  were  spoken  in  the  quiet  of  the  evening  by  this  servant 
of  the  Lord,  who  thus,  unconsciously,  gave  a  page  from  her  autobio- 
graphy and  unfolded  the  secret  of  her  life  work. 

Miss  Dascomb,  after  forty-seven  years  of  service,  is  still  full  of  life 
and  vim,  despite  an  injured  limb  and  dimmed  eye.  These  lines  were 
written  at  sea  on  board  the  steamer  "Byron"  en  route  to  New  York 
from  Rio  de  Janeiro.  At  the  mention  of  the  word  "Dascomb"  a 
good  woman  near,  who  with  husband  and  daughter  were  traveling 
to  New  York,  said: — "Why,  she  was  my  teacher  twenty-five  years 
ago  at  Sao  Paulo,  and  what  a  teacher  and  what  a  woman  she  was!" 
The  writer  of  these  lines  added,  "and  is." 

Miss  Dascomb  is  unique.  Her  room  is  filled  with  photographs, 
books  and  everything  suggestive  of  teacher  and  missionary.  She 
is  as  young  in  heart,  in  spirit  and  in  life,  as  any  of  her  associates. 
A  doll  sixty-five  years  old,  whose  dress  is  washed  each  week,  has  a 
place  on  the  book  shelf.  Photographs  of  friends  and  great  men 
and  women  meet  your  eye  everywhere. 

Books  abound.  The  modern  reader's  Bible,  pamphlets  and  periodi- 
cals like  "The  Christian  Calendar,"  "The  Continent,"  "The  Presby- 
terian," "The  Christian  Herald,"  "Woman's  Work,"  "New  York 
Times"  and  much  else.  One  picture  represents  a  spinster  with  a 
lighted  candle  looking  under  the  bed  and  unconsciously  burning  her 
hair  in  her  search  for  a  burglar.  In  the  corner  of  the  room  is  a  broom 
used  nightly  under  the  sofa  to  make  sure  that  no  intruder  is  there. 

Miss  Dascomb  is  still  alert,  up-to-date  in  all  her  methods.  The 
school  shows  the  results.  All  its  Brazilian  teachers  practically  were 
taught  in  the  school.  It  was  a  delight  on  Sunday  morning  to  see 
one  of  them  presiding  at  the  organ  in  the  church,  others  in  the  choir, 
still  others  teaching  in  the  Sunday  School  or  assisting  in  making  the 
school  one  of  the  best  in  Brazil. 

"By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  The  fruits  of  the  Eschola 
Americana  were  before  us  on  that  memorable  Easter  Sunday  in  the 
self-supporting  Presbyterian  Church  in  Curityba.  The  church  is 
one  of  the  most  aggressive  that  we  saw  in  Brazil,  a  well-ordered 
Christian  congregation  worshipping  in  a  simple  but  churchly  edifice, 
built  by  the  people  and  ministered  to  by  a  National  Pastor.  We 
believe  that  the  school  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  life  of  the  church. 
We  watched  Miss  Dascomb  teaching  a  class  of  uomen  in  the  Sunday 
School.  She  evidently  was  teaching,  not  doling  out  some  dry-as- 
dust  platitudes  to  these  mothers  in  Israel.  The  other  Brazilian 
teachers  from  the  school  seemed  equally  alert  with  their  classes. 

In  days  gone  by  the  school  suffered  persecution — even  high  eccle- 
siastics attempted  to  interfere  with  its  work.  Today  it  is  too  strongly 
intrenched  in  hundreds  of  homes  in  Curityba  and  Parana  to  permit 


72 


this.  There  is  still  some  persecution.  It  was  our  privilege  on  the 
afternoon  of  that  Easter  Sunday,  to  call  on  one  of  the  Colporteurs 
of  the  Independent  Presbyterian  Church.  Three  weeks  before,  this 
brother  had  suffered  persecution  for  Christ's  sake.  He  had  been 
cruelly  beaten  by  a  fanatical  Romanist.  It  was  a  delight  to  talk 
with  this  man  who  for  fifty  years  had  lived  with  the  wife  of  his  youth. 
Twenty-eight  of  these  years  he  had  been  a  professing  Christian  and 
for  seven  years  he  had  given  his  entire  time  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel.  He  was  praying  for  his  persecutors,  though  suffering  much 
physical  pain  from  the  blows  he  had  received.  Persecution  is  found, 
however,  only  in  a  few  places,  and  among  fanatical  men  only. 
No  one  event  marks  the  growth  of  the  truth  more  than  this  absence 
of  open  violence. 

It  was  fitting  to  end  our  long  trip  from  Panama  to  Parana  at 
Curityba  and  at  the  "Eschola  Americana."  "'  "' 

In  every  one  of  the  Regional  Congresses,  in  practically  every  city 
or  town  we  visited,  in  our  conversations  with  men  of  Latin  America 
or  with  missionaries,  the  three  great  needs  that  appeared  above  all 
others  were  the  need  of  morality,  the  need  of  education  and  the  need 
of  a  national  Christian  leadership. 

Both  at  Panama  and  at  the  Regional  Congresses  there  was  some 
difference  as  to  the  figures  of  illiteracy  and  illegitimacy  in  the  various 
Republics.  Whatever  may  be  the  exact  truth  no  one  who  is  at  all 
acquainted  with  the  facts  can  question  that  the  illiteracy  in  practically 
all  the  Latin  American  Republics  is  very  large,  running  from  forty 
to  as  high  as  eighty  per  cent.  The  eagerness  with  which  the  best 
families  send  their  children  to  mission  schools,  even  against  religious 
and  social  prejudices,  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  failure  of  Latin 
America  to  furnish  the  kind  and  quality  of  education  required.  The 
various  Republics  are  doing  much  to  remedy  this,  and  the  Christian 
Church,  so  far  from  criticising  their  efforts,  should  aim  to  assist  and 
co-operate  with  every  movement  seeking  to  educate  and  enlighten 
the  people. 

But  the  gravest  situation  in  Latin  America  as  we  saw  it  from 
Panama  to  Parana,  was  the  question  of  morals.  It  is  true  as  Albert 
T.  Hale  states: — "The  greatest  evil  in  Brazil  is  the  laxity  of  moral 
tone."  But  this  only  expresses  half  the  truth  for  Brazil  and  the 
rest  of  Latin  America.  It  seems  to  be  a  lack  of  moral  sense.  In 
travelling  through  the  great  State  of  Parana  we  were  impressed  with 
the  large  section  of  untilled  land  where  not  even  cattle  were  grazing. 
A  missionary  of  many  years  standing  stated  that  the  land  lacked 
nitrogen.  Latin  America  lacks  "moral  nitrogen."  We  give  herewith 
a  few  facts  which  came  under  our  observation,  none  of  which  did 
we  seek.     In  the  Regional  Congress  at  Santiago,   in  an  afternoon 


73 


57 — New  Dormitory,  "Eschola  Americana,"  Curityba,  Parana 


58 — Group  of  missionaries  and  visitors  in  yard  oi'  "Eschola  Americana,"  Curityba, 
Parana.     Note  the  well  in  foreground. 


74 


devoted  to  education,  every  instructor  who  spoke  gave  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  fact  of  the  unmoral  condition  of  the  pupils  in  the  school.  No 
training  at  home,  no  discipline,  no  sense  of  truthfulness — the  very 
elements  of  obedience  and  truth  telling  and  trust  had  to  be  inculcated 
in  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  pupils. 

In  an  afternoon  spent  at  Petropolis,  the  suburb  of  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
we  visited  the  admirable  Methodist  Girls'  School.  We  were  there 
told  in  almost  the  same  language  that  though  the  pupils  came  from 
some  of  the  best  families,  they  had  to  be  taught  to  accept  th§  word  of 
the  teacher  as  truth.  "Our  mothers  would  tell  us  things,  but  we 
never  believed  them,  nor  did  they  intend  us  to  believe  them,"  were 
the  words  of  the  pupil  when  spoken  to  regarding  the  lack  of  truth. 

In  a  conversation  with  a  number  of  leading  business  men  we  learned 
that  discipline,  order,  promptness,  and  even  honesty  in  connection 
with  the  use  of  funds,  were  traits  of  character  that  had  to  be  inculcated 
in  most  of  the  employees.  One  example  was  given  of  a  man  who 
had  received  money  for  his  company,  spent  it  for  the  care  of  a  sick 
wife,  and  defended  himself  on  the  ground  that  his  wife  had  a  right 
to  the  money.  In  one  of  the  large  schools  the  professor  rebuked 
his  pupils  for  lying.  This  made  no  impression.  When,  however, 
he  accused  them  of  being  ungentlemanly  in  their  conduct  they  were 
smitten  to  their  hearts  and  begged  to  be  forgiven.  To  lie,  to  cheat, 
to  steal,  were  minor  matters,  but  to  be  discourteous  and  impolite 
were  matters  of  grave  offense. 

A  professor  in  one  of  the  very  large  schools  founded  by  Christian 
men  assured  me  that  among  their  pupils  he  did  not  believe  that 
five  per  cent,  of  the  boys  were  morally  pure.  This  same  statement 
was  made  so  frequently  and  by  those  connected  with  so  many  insti- 
tutions that  they  must  be  substantially  accurate. 

A  leading  business  man  in  one  of  the  large  cities  defended  the 
action  of  a  father  who  not  only  permitted,  but  encouraged  his  boys 
to  satisfy  their  carnal  desires,  the  father  declaring  that  health  and 
nature  both  demanded  this. 

Members  of  the  deputation  who  called  on  one  of  the  leading  pastors 
of  a  large  church  in  a  metropolitan  city  in  Latin  America  were  openly 
solicited  from  the  windows  of  the  house  next  door  to  the  parsonage. 
The  church  was  adjacent  to  the  manse.  In  the  street  on  which  one 
of  the  best  of  the  Regional  Congresses  was  held  there  was  open  solicita- 
tion of  members  of  the  Congress.  It  was  so  flagrant  as  to  call  forth 
deserved  rebuke.  Yet  prominent  workers  in  that  city  assured  the 
writer  of  these  lines  that  what  he  had  seen  in  passing  into  that  church 
was  insignificant  as  to  what  could  be  seen  in  the  red-light  district 
of  that  city. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  many  pure  homes  in  Latin  America.     It 


75 


is  true  that  the  oversight  of  the  girls  of  the  best  homes  is  most  search- 
ing and  careful,  but  the  boy  is  supposed  to  have  impulses  and  desires 
that  can  only  be  gratified  by  methods  which  are  abhorrent  to  all 
right-thinking  men. 

A  father  came  to  one  of  our  schools  with  two  boys.  He  said; — 
"Your  school  makes  men  with  character.  Our  schools  give  learning, 
but  our  boys  go  to  the  bad.  I  leave  my  boys  with  you  because  I 
believe  the  product  of  your  educational  factory  is  character." 

These  testimonies  we  heard  on  every  side. 

It  is  this  point  of  view  that  exists  in  Latin  America  that  makes  the 
situation  so  full  of  peril,  and  so  pressing  in  its  claim  upon  Evangelical 
Christianity. 

In  a  memorable  address  delivered  before  Clark  University  two 
years  ago  by  Senor  Don  Federico  Alfonso  Pezet,  Minister  of  Peru, 
he  forcibly  and  fairly  reminds  us  that  we  are  not  to  judge  Latin 
American  civilization  by  the  standards  of  Anglo-Saxon  civilization- 
We  agree  with  his  fair  and  candid  statement,  but  the  fact  is  it  is  a 
condition  and  not  a  theory  that  confronts  us.  Senor  Pezet  declares : — 
"Now  we  are  developing  our  true  nationality  and  we  know  now  that 
the  formative  period  may  be  considered  as  well  over,  and  we  feel 
ready  to  face  the  future  with  full  confidence  in  ourselves  and  in  our 
country."  These  are  noble  words.  The  formative  period  is  past. 
Latin  America  is  facing  a  crisis.  It  is  the  Evangelical  opportunity. 
She  has  a  large  body  of  good  men  who  recognize  the  situation.  No 
finer  body  of  men  have  we  found  anywhere  than  those  which 
represented  Latin  America  at  the  Panama  Congress  and  at  the 
Regional  Congresses.  They  were  loyal,  patriotic,  and  true  Latin 
Americans,  and  they  were  shot  through  with  Gospel  ideals  and  Gospel 
ideas.  They  love  their  country  and  are  ambitious  for  its  success. 
They  and  others  like  them,  and  their  number  is  growing,  are  striving 
mightily  for  a  new  Latin  America.  Yet  the  fact  remains  that  in  our 
trip  from  Panama  to  Parana  the  conviction  grew  that  the  deliverance 
of  the  Buenos  Aires  Congress  was  most  true  and  timely,  that  "Latin 
America  is  a  legitimate  field  for  missionary  endeavor  on  the  part 
of  Evangelical  forces  of  Christendom."  It  is  true  that  Latin  America 
has  much  to  teach  us  in  its  cleanly  streets,  well  governed  municipalities, 
in  the  courtesy  and  kindness  of  its  people,  and  in  its  love  for  the 
beautiful  in  art  and  nature,  but  it  lacks  what  the  Evangelicals  can 
give,  A  LIVING  CHRIST. 


76 


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